Red Bull "lost faith" in Renault

Red Bull have had a long and often fruitful relationship with engine supplier Renault, but Helmut Marko has now revealed that the team lost faith in the French manufacturer, leading them to make the brave switch to Honda engines for the 2019 season.

Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso, have been using Honda engines this season and the bosses at Red Bull have been impressed enough that they have decided to take on the Japanese manufacturer.

Honda’s reputation took a big hit when they partnered with McLaren, although they have started to repair that with some impressive Toro Rosso performances, including increased power and reliability.

Red Bull and Renault have been partners since 2007 and Renault helped the team to win four consecutive Constructors’ Championships between 2010 and 2013, with Sebastian Vettel winning the drivers’ title in each of those years.

However, since 2013, Red Bull have only won 11 races, which has led to the unrest between the two.

Marko said: “They [Renault] were always making predictions that we were going to be competitive the next year, but it never happened.

“We have lost faith in Renault.

“Honda is a partner who is committed, has the financial and technical resources and we are the number one team for them.

“I am sure that next year we are going to be far ahead of Renault.”