Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton says it is “awesome” that Honda is now in a position to challenge at the front of the Formula 1 grid.
Honda won Formula 1 titles as an engine supplier in the late 1980s and 1990s and, after a six-year absence, returned as power unit partner to McLaren in 2015.
That three-year relationship soured amid a catalogue of performance and reliability setbacks but the marque made progress through 2018 after switching to Toro Rosso.
Honda’s gains through early 2018 convinced Red Bull to ditch long-term partner Renault for 2019, joining Toro Rosso in being supplied by the Japanese manufacturer.
Mercedes claimed a 1-2 finish at last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix but were joined on the podium by Max Verstappen, who passed Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel on-track for third position.
It marked Honda’s first Formula 1 podium since 2008.
“It's great to see the improvement that it’s had for the team [Red Bull],” said Hamilton.
“Obviously they were with Renault for such a long time, and obviously they were able to pass a Ferrari. I think it's awesome.
“The Red Bulls are there with us, and I think we're going to have a really, really good battle through the year, I think, between the three of us.
“I'm sure Ferrari, something's not been right [at the] weekend, but I'm pretty sure their car is still good. So, I think it's going to be a really interesting season.
“And I think for Honda, I remember growing up watching Ayrton [Senna] drive with the Honda, and they were a formidable force back then, and it's great to see them up there.
“It's definitely a surprise to see one of the Renault engines up in flames [Carlos Sainz Jr.], but I hope that their reliability maintains, so we can keep the close battle through the year.”
Should Honda claim a win with Red Bull this year it would mark its first victory since Jenson Button's 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix triumph.
