Honda "more integrated" with Red Bull than Renault ever was: Verstappen

Red Bull Racing's partnership with Honda has been a fruitful experience for both parties, according to Max Verstappen. The current championship leader feels that's down to the higher level of integration that the Japanese outfit has been able to achieve as compared to Renault.

While the Red Bull-Renault partnership led to four consecutive titles from 2010-2013, it ended acrimoniously when the French outfit produced sub-par engines during the V6 turbo era. It left Red Bull out of contention for the title and at a severe disadvantage to the Mercedes-powered teams.

Red Bull have since gone on to forge a harmonious partnership with Honda and been in the thick of the 2021 title battle.

With Honda now on its way out of Formula 1, Verstappen was questioned by RacingNews365 on the relative difference between the two partnerships. He said:

"The relationship is different now, purely because we work much more integrated than before. It’s just a very different mentality, and I’m not saying that to criticize Renault, but it’s very different. I enjoy working with Honda.”

Verstappen also pointed to the fact that the special Honda livery sported by the team cars at the Turkish Grand Prix was initially meant for the Japanese Grand Prix. He said:

“The livery was intended for the Japanese Grand Prix weekend in Suzuka, but it is nice that we still put it on the car in Turkey. That shows how good the relationship is. [It was] very nice to see.”

Red Bull Racing sported a special livery in tribute to their outgoing engine supplier Honda at this year's Turkish Grand Prix. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Has Red Bull hyped up the Honda partnership as compared to Renault?

One glaring difference between the two partnerships has been the lack of silverware achieved by Red Bull with Honda as compared to Renault.

With Renault, Red Bull were able to achieve significant records in Formula 1. The same cannot be said about its relationship with Honda. The team are finally in position to fight for their first title in with Honda, whereas they won four titles on the trot with Renault.

However, the apparent distaste for Renault in the Red Bull camp was prevalent even during their championship reign. Renault reportedly never supplied Red Bull with engines that were the class of the field. Their success was attributed more to the genius of aerodynamicist Adrian Newey during an era which didn't see too much disparity in terms of engines.

When the situation changed in 2014, Renault were unwilling to collaborate on the levels necessary for the teams to succeed, and that led to friction, and eventually, an end to the partnership with Red Bull.

Honda, on the other hand, have integrated well with Red Bull, and in turn, provided them with engine improvements at frequent intervals and kept the relationship harmonious despite the apparent lack of success.