"Mercedes and Red Bull are now on the same level, Red Bull might be even faster"

Not just Red Bull Racing, AlphaTauri has been on a roll as well. This is partly due to the new Honda engine, which looks more reliable and faster than ever. According to AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost their engine is even very close to that of Mercedes.

From 2022, Red Bull will take over the development of the Honda powerplant, but the Japanese manufacturer has not put in any less effort. In fact, in their final year in Formula 1, they want to deliver their strongest engine ever, and so far that seems to have worked out well.

Praise for Honda

"Honda did a great job in Sakura, because this engine is much more powerful and driveable than before," said Tost in conversation with Autosport.com. "I think Honda is very, very close to Mercedes. For that, I can only thank the Japanese engineers because they have done a fantastic job."

Despite Gasly's disappointing result in Bahrain, caused by damage due to an incident with Daniel Ricciardo at the start, Tost is also very complimentary about his own team. "We have improved in all areas," said Tost. "But we must not forget our opponents: McLaren is also looking very strong with the Mercedes engine."

As far as Tost is concerned, Red Bull is currently the favourite. "I think Mercedes and Red Bull are on the same level now, Red Bull is maybe even faster. Then comes McLaren, and we are close to Ferrari and the rest. In two to three races we will have a better picture, but it is very close," said Tost.