Honda F1 Technical Director, Toyuharu Tanabe has stated that the Japanese manufacturer was able to run trouble-free throughout all eight days of pre-season testing for the 2019 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with both Scuderia Toro Rosso and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
While Max Verstappen‘s testing was cut short due to a gearbox failure, the new Red Bull-Honda partnership set off without a hitch as the reliability gremlins that plagued the McLaren F1 Team during their strenuous partnership with Honda were absent.
This coupled with the junior team delivering the fourth largest mileage of all ten teams throughout the entire pre-season test left the Sakura based manufacture in good stead for the upcoming season.
Tanabe agreed with these sentiments stating “We were able to run throughout all eight days of winter testing without any major problems on the PU side.
“This meant we were able to do a good mileage. We experienced some minor issues in the second week, but that is what testing is all about, dealing with anything that arises before the season gets underway.”
The Honda Technical Director went onto say “The fact that the weather was good for all eight days also helped us complete our work and gather plenty of data. We will now be analysing it all in order to be as well prepared as possible prior to getting on track in Melbourne.”
Tanabe also had time to praise the ever-burgeoning relationship with Honda and Toro Rosso as well as the bonds already being established with the senior team, Red Bull.
“We came to these tests having already established a good working relationship with Scuderia Toro Rosso over the previous season.
“With Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, we were able to do a good job of preparation, both in terms of hardware and race operation, building on the communication we had already established over the past few months.”
