Red Bull planning for 4+ engines in 2019

Christian Horner explains Red Bull and Honda's strategy

Red Bull boss Christian Horner expects grid penalties later this season as Red Bull wants Honda to keep bringing new power unit performance upgrade bits.

“I think it has been positive," Horner said. “Honda have had a strong race, and then we could run the engine a little bit harder in the race as well. So yeah, it’s all part of that evolution.

“There were no issues with the previous engine that we have, so they’ll be used on Fridays. We were always planning this year to take more than three engines. It’s part of that — for them to catch up they’ve got to push the boundaries, which is exactly what they’re doing."

“I think we closed the gap since the beginning of the year. In Melbourne we had a strong race — I think Max was pushing Lewis for the majority of that grand prix. Bahrain was a tough race for us but I think actually exposed some things that we’ve managed to improve since then.

“Then China was a stronger race, and then again in Baku, even more so, at a track that doesn’t historically play to our strengths. So I think we’re looking forward to heading back to Europe now — a few circuits coming up that hopefully should suit us."