Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda F1 Technical Director, says he’s satisfied with Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda‘s running on Thursday following the team’s 169 issue-less laps.
Many had thought the move to Honda engines would prove disastrous for the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing sister team, however Toro Rosso and Honda seem to have found a good partnership – with Pierre Gasly able to finish with the third-fastest time of the Thursday’s session.
The same can’t be said though for ex-partners McLaren F1 Team, as they’ve suffered numerous setbacks and issues despite ditching the Honda engine, and speaking at the conclusion of Thursday’s testing session, Tanabe says that the team have a lot of valuable feedback, and he hopes Friday’s final session with Gasly’s team-mate Brendon Hartley will be as productive.
“Although it was cloudier and cooler than the first two days, conditions were still good for testing and I am satisfied that it was a productive day for the team,” said Tanabe.
“We went through a qualifying simulation in the morning and then moved to a race simulation in the afternoon, which included the operational aspects such as the pit stops. We continued with set-up work on the whole package, making adjustments throughout the session.
“So far, our PU has run reliably and we are making progress in terms of its race settings. Pierre completed 169 trouble-free laps today, giving us valuable feedback. Tomorrow will be Brendon’s turn and we hope to run as many laps as possible once again, to have a good final day of pre-season testing, in this first step for Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda.”
