Honda surprised by Ferrari: 'Didn't expect such a battle with Red Bull'

After the intense title fight in 2021, Red Bull Racing are once again embroiled in the battles for the big prizes this season. Last year they faced opposition mainly from Mercedes, this year so far Ferrari has the fastest car to attack Max Verstappen 's team. Red Bull could not have foreseen that Mercedes would fall back this season.

This season, they will drive with an engine from "Red Bull Powertrains" for the first time. In practice it is still a Honda engine, only the Japanese car manufacturer no longer links its name to the engine. Nevertheless, both parties are still closely linked in the production of engines and it was even announced that they will work together on the engines until 2026, when the new engine regulations come into force.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Yasuaki Asaki looks back on the first half year for Red Bull. Asaki was in charge of the engine development for Red Bull and AlphaTauri last year and is still closely associated with the project. "It was a big surprise to me that Mercedes couldn't show its potential right away," he said.

The title fight in 2021 has forced Mercedes to take a step back this season, while Ferrari managed to leapfrog and was top contender for the world title after four races. However, errors and mechanical breakdowns threw a spanner in the works, but the Italians are still in the running."Of course I expected Ferrari to be strong, but I didn't think it would turn into a battle between Red Bull and Ferrari," he said.