Red Bull boss Horner laments Honda exit, which will be “a loss for F1”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is already lamenting the loss of Honda from Formula 1 at the end of the year after the Japanese manufacturer rose again.

Honda has played a key role in making Red Bull a title contender this season as it has helped lead the team to four straight wins and five in eight races.

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The four in a row marks the first time Honda has achieved this feat since 1991, when the late, great Ayrton Senna drove the checkered flag with McLaren in the inaugural quartet of races that year.

However, Honda has less than six months of its partnership with Red Bull before leaving F1, despite the fact that the team will continue to run its engines.

With Allianz on the up, Horner said: “It will be very sad to see them leave at the end of the year.

“You were a great partner for us, you supported us in setting up our Red Bull Powertrains.

“We obviously used their technology to move forward, but it’s been a great relationship and we’ll be sad to see them leave F1. I think it will be a loss for F1 at the end of the year.”

Red Bull praises oil partners for additional performance

Horner has also praised the work of oil partner Exxon Mobil, a company that recently unveiled a new product to support Red Bull’s quest for better performance.

Horner’s comments were in response to Lewis Hamilton’s remarks that Red Bull’s recent engine upgrade proved the direct difference between the two teams.

Honda introduced a new unit at the French Grand Prix, but only according to the regulations for reasons of reliability.

“We have a new Exxon Mobil oil, so I think you should give all Lewis’ attention to the engine,” joked Horner. “The engines are homologated, so they have the same specification.”

Horner indicated that Mercedes’ performance with its unit had also deteriorated this year, adding, “It’s unusual for Mercedes to have changed [its PU] as early in the year as her.

“You may seem to have degraded more this year than in previous years, but we can only focus on our own work.”