German media: Honda and Mercedes power units just 50 bhp apart now

According to reports from Auto Motor und Sport, who analyse the grid's power units after every race, Honda and Mercedes are just 50 horsepower apart now after the Japanese introduced their latest engine upgrade.

There was a lot of fuss about the Honda upgrade even before it was introduced, with reports coming out that it would make the Honda engine more powerful than Renault's. This turned out to be true, as the Toro Rosso's were significantly quicker than before in Japan, and Auto Motor und Sport have confirmed it as well.

"Before the start of the new season there will be another big upgrade, which will allow us to fight for wins on some tracks," Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko teased.

"A small gap shouldn't be the end of the world, we can compensate with our chassis.

"Our goal is to fight for the title next season, but realistically that will be tough.

"The new rules regarding the front wing play a part in that."

The 50-horsepower gap could be made even slimmer then, if Marko is telling the truth. Could Red Bull finally be a genuine contender in 2019? Toto Wolff knows that the Bulls will be a big threat with their new partners.

"The Honda engine looks very competitive, and there are real racers at Red Bull, so we will monitor them," the Austrian said.

We're not sure what's the best part of this; the fact that we could have a genuine three-way title scrap next season, or the fact that McLaren have truly embarrassed themselves by blaming everything on Honda during their relationship.