Red Bull encourages Honda to prepare for 2019

Red Bull is encouraging Toro Rosso and Honda to help the senior energy drink-owned team prepare for 2019.

Honda already supplies engines to Toro Rosso, the sister Red Bull team.

But next year, Red Bull Racing is joining the fold, and the senior outfit wants Toro Rosso to accept the prospect of penalties this year in order to help Honda develop its 2019 power unit.

"Of course we leave the decision to Honda," Dr Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport.

"But if they find a tenth through development, then they can of course try that development already in the race, even if that means we take penalties for it," he said.

Speed Week reports that Honda is already pushing on with preparations for 2019, although technical boss Toyoharu Tanabe said "It is not clear when we will bring" the next update.

"We focus on the present while keeping an eye on the future," said the Japanese.

"The fact that Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing work together can only be of benefit to us. All the talks we hold are central to Red Bull Technology," he added.

Red Bull has put a lot of pressure on its outgoing engine supplier Renault, and Tanabe admits that that pressure will now be transferred to Honda.

"We know that," he said. "But we already have had pressure and we do now. We know that we can work very efficiently with these two racing teams."

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