F1 News
Max Verstappen claims Honda have "completely different mentality" to Renault
- Bobby Vincent
Max Verstappen has praised Honda for how they have helped Red Bull within their first season of collaboration, claiming the Japanese power unit supplier runs with a "completely different mentality" to the team's former partner, Renault.
Verstappen has won two races in 2019; being the only non-Mercedes driver to have won a single race this season. After years of frustration with Renault, suffering most with reliability issues, Red Bull decided to cut ties with the French manufacturer for the 2019 season.
In came Honda, who impressed with Red Bull's sister side Toro Rosso, making the decision a lot more straightforward for Red Bull. Verstappen said to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, that he is pleased with how it's going thus far.
"I've never had to hit the table with my fist," Verstappen joked. "Honda, like us, always want better and more. It's a completely different mentality compared to what we were used to."
McLaren partnered with Honda recently and the project didn't work, to describe it simpy. There was an apparent lack of communication between two very different cultures, but Verstappen hasn't witnessed any similar problems with the Japanese company.
"The funny thing is that it is a real mix," the 21-year-old said. "The guy who manages the project with us is American, and there are also English people working at Honda from the time with Cosworth.
"Of course, the culture is very different but you get to know that over time. Ultimately, we have the same goal; to win. Then you speak the same language very quickly."