Gasly warns Red Bull not to get “too excited” after F1 testing

Pierre Gasly has urged Red Bull not to get “too excited” following a positive start to its relationship with new Formula 1 engine suppliers Honda during pre-season testing. 

Red Bull ended its long-term partnership with Renault to join forces with Honda in 2019, with the Japanese engine manufacturer enjoying one of its strongest winters since returning to F1 in 2015. 

Team principal Christian Horner claimed Honda had offered Red Bull its best installation it has ever had, describing its new engine as a “thing of beauty”. 

While Gasly insists the mood in the Red Bull camp is positive despite a pair of crashes that setback the team’s running on the final two days, he remains cautious about where it stands compared to chief rivals Mercedes and Ferrari heading into the new campaign. 

“It is good but we should not get too excited as well,” Gasly said. 

“It is only preseason testing and everybody is hiding. We just try to focus on ourselves.

“We know we have some good potential, but we don’t know what the others are doing at the moment, so, we just try to improve in the areas where we think we struggle a bit. 

“We have a rough idea but we still need to keep our head down and really work because I think it is going to be tight.” 

Red Bull’s switch to Honda follows an increased bid to return to championship-winning contention with the Milton Keynes squad enduring a barren run without a title since 2013. 

Asked if he feels Red Bull is in the leading group, Gasly replied: “Clearly that is the target of the team. Also, we need to stay objective. 

“Honda is coming, first year as an engine manufacturer so of course we need a bit of time to just get the structure and mange to extract everything from those packages.

“We are really happy,” he added. “I can see all the improvements they [Honda] have made through the winter, so in terms of reliability it is pretty amazing so far, so fingers crossed it can stay like that during the season. 

“Also, in terms of performance it seems to be better. So overall really happy with the job have they done.”