The Red Bull organisation were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic and plentiful support their junior Toro Rosso team received during their first Japanese Grand Prix as a partner with Honda, a small appetiser ahead of the main team joining ranks for next season.
Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko was clearly inspired with what he saw at Suzuka, and told MN, "We got so much welcome in Japan. Can you imagine if we start winning? Being a frontrunner, I think it will be massive. We are really looking positive for next year with a different engine. We saw what they can do in qualifying here."
Indeed, on Saturday during a challenging qualifying session, Honda "unleashed their beast" and by the time the dust had settled the Toro Rosso pair of Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly sixth and seventh respectively.
A significant step forward for the Japanese auto giant with their F1 package, which German media outlets claim is only 50 bhp down on the Mercedes.
Marko continued, "Before the start of the new season there will be another big upgrade, which will allow us to fight for wins on some tracks. A small gap shouldn't be the end of the world, we can compensate with our chassis."
"Our goal is to fight for the title next season, but realistically that will be tough. The new rules regarding the front wing play a part in that," added Marko somewhat cryptically.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has obviously taken note, and said of the performance in Japan by their rivals, "The Honda engine looks very competitive, and there are real racers at Red Bull, so we will monitor them. It's great to see them making real strides. We're very excited about the progress they're making and obviously hopeful as we head into 2019."
On Sunday it was not quite the same story as both Tro Rosso drivers dropped down the order and by the end of the race were both out of the points.
Honda F1 technical director Toyoharu Tanabe chief acknowledged, "The result was disappointing, given our excellent showing in qualifying. However, the frustration we all feel at the lack of points will be turned into motivation as we carry on working for the final four races."
A clear sign that Sakura will not let up until they make their piece of kit work...
The general consensus in the paddock is that Honda have made significant progress with the RA618H Power Unit, on Saturday they gave a glimpse of what they have in hand, and it was pretty impressive.
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