Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admits it is “great” his team will have the chance to make an informed decision on which engine to use for the 2019 Formula 1 season.
The Milton Keynes outfit has worked with Renault since 2007 but has been critical of the French manufacturer since the start of the current hybrid formula in 2014, as they have struggled both for performance and reliability compared to their rivals.
During 2015, there was even a concerted effort to change supplier but neither Ferrari nor Mercedes would entertain the idea, now, the situation has changed with junior team Toro Rosso the sole customer of Honda.
“The great thing for us is that we have options, which is a situation we haven’t been in previously,” Horner told RACER. “We’ll take our time to evaluate those options and then try and make the best-informed decision we can during the course of the coming year.”
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Previously, it had been reported Red Bull could be forced to join up with Honda after Renault partnered with McLaren though that has since been denied, Horner, however, only sees a positive to the Italian team’s new chapter.
“It’s a great deal for Toro Rosso,” he said. “Honda have a great legacy in F1, they have desire and ambition. As a sister team, we’ll be keeping an interested eye on their progress during the first half of the year.”
