Zak Brown admits Honda has started the 2018 season in a positive manner, but the McLaren F1 Team boss insists they are purely focused on their own programme, and not the programme currently ongoing at Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda.
Toro Rosso has enjoyed a strong-looking beginning to their relationship with Honda during the first six days of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, often placing inside the top five and completing a good number of laps with both Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley.
In comparison, McLaren has only completed three hundred and fifty-five laps compared to Toro Rosso’s four hundred and ninety-seven, thanks to a number of on-track stoppages for both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, and Brown says he always expected Honda to turn around their fortune.
“I think they’re doing a good job,” said Brown. “We know they’re a great company and it was just a matter of time until they’d see some improvements. They’re having a good test and good on them.”
“We’re focused on our own programme. I know, as you’d expect, there are a lot of comparisons in testing between them and us, but Eric [Boullier] and the full team are focused on our programme, and very confident we’re going to have a good season.”
