Priestley praises Honda engine: "Red Bull looking incredibly strong"

Marc Priestley agrees with Helmut Marko: Honda seems to have made a big step forward with the engine for 2021. According to the former McLaren mechanic, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri seem to have benefited from the new power unit from Japan during last week's winter tests.

"Red Bull is looking incredibly strong and AlphaTauri is also looking pretty good", says Priestley in his analysis of the winter tests on YouTube. According to the analyst for Sky Sports and others, both teams benefit greatly from the fact that Honda has delivered an engine that was actually meant for 2022.

Red Bull pushes Honda

"We know Honda has brought development forward a year. The motivation is extremely high there to do well this year. Red Bull is also pushing them because they want to be left with a good engine when they take over the project themselves. But Honda also wants to finish on a high. I think the engine is very decent."

How the Japanese's powerplant performs in relation to Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault is yet to be told based on the winter tests. All teams and engine manufacturers have yet to show the back of their tongues during the three days at the Bahrain International Circuit. What is clear however is that Honda has made some progress over the winter.