Horner: Honda have strength and depth of resource plus desire

Speaking to RaceFans, Horner said, "Renault now having their own works team, the customer-supplier relationship has only become more exaggerated over the last couple of seasons. Honda have the strength and depth of resource, the desire and of course we will be their exclusive focus and attention."

With Toro Rosso taking on board the engines that were junked by McLaren in a complex deal that not only resulted in the engine swap, but also a loan agreement for Carlos Sainz to Renault.

Horner explained the benefits to the energy drinks organisation and their F1 programme, "It puts Red Bull in a position where both of its teams share the same power unit with the full focus of an OEM[original equipment manufacturer] with the resource and facilities and investment Honda have made and the progress they have made – particularly in the last six months – for us it was a particularly straightforward decision."

Also, a sweetener for Horner is the fact that for the first time in his team's history they will not be paying for engines, which translates to a substantial saving.

But Horner makes clear where the focus will be, "The agreements that we have with Honda are very much focused on performance and the decision behind the change was driven by engineering reasons opposed to fiscal gain."