Should Red Bull switch to Honda from 2019 then the Canadian GP will have likely been the turning point after junior team Toro Rosso heaped praise on its performance in Montreal.
With the senior team assessing whether to stick with Renault or twist with the Japanese manufacturer, the upgrades brought to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve had been touted as decisive to swaying that decision.
And while only marginal gains were seen on the RB14 the improvement of the STR13 was much more notable, particularly with Pierre Gasly who moved up from 19th to 11th during the race, one of the biggest movers on the grid.
“In the end, it was the right decision, even if we started a bit further [back],” the Frenchman said, with Toro Rosso opting to change him back to a new engine for Sunday after having to revert to an old unit for qualifying.
“I overtook a Haas, I overtook a Force India on the straight, which is the first time this year. For me [the new engine] is looking good. Promising.”
Asked by Autosport where he thinks he would have been with the prior spec, Gasly replied: “We would’ve finished, looking at the race, behind [Sergio] Perez I think, so would’ve been 14th.
“It was the right choice [to change it], because with the other one [it] would’ve been not possible to come back even from P16.”
Considering where the main improvements were, the 20-year-old was pretty clear.
“Everything. Just more performance in general,” he declared. “In terms of battery as well, in terms of energy management is better. It’s a really good step.”
Keeping a watchful eye for Red Bull was advisor Helmut Marko, and the Austrian put a figure on the improvements made by Honda.
“We’re talking about three tenths a lap,” he told Auto Bild.
As tensions rise with Renault, each day that passes an unthinkable switch just a year ago now seems more and more likely.
