Red Bull and Honda won't be able to win straight away

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has revealed he does not expect Red Bull and Honda to be competing for race wins after they switched from engine supplier Renault for this season.

Toro Rosso tested the Honda engine in 2018 ahead of Red Bull’s switch this season. It has been a summer of change at Red Bull with Daniel Ricciardo moving to Renault and Pierre Gasly stepping up to the main team.

With the Australian Grand Prix just days away Verstappen, who had initially been positive regarding the Honda power unit has poured cold water on any potential early wins.

Speaking at an event in Japan the Dutchman said: “We will not immediately win a race with the new Honda engine but we must be ahead.

“The long runs made in the tests seemed quite promising, so we hope to be competitive from the start.”

Verstappen also looked ahead to the team closing the gap to their direct rivals, Ferrari and Mercedes.

“I also think we have a good package overall, this weekend we will really see where we are and if we have filled the gap with Mercedes and Ferrari,” added Verstappen.