Gasly: Honda 'giving everything' to be on top in F1

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Pierre Gasly has underlined just how seriously Toro Rosso's engine partners Honda are taking their involvement in Formula 1 this season.

Honda returned to F1 in 2015, but a three-year partnership with McLaren proved to be a dismal and frustrating experience for both parties. They split at the end of last season, with Honda making Toro Rosso its works team in 2018.

Gasly explained that Honda is determined to bounce back and restore their Grand Prix reputation after the McLaren misadventure.

“They are not here to, we say, f*** around," Gasly told Autosport magazine. "They stayed in Formula 1 after they had difficult years with McLaren.

"They really want to show that they have the materials and the experience to do the best engines in Formula 1.

“When they want something, they give everything they have until they achieve it," he added. "In terms of dedication it’s really impressive what Honda are doing."

Honda is introducing its first major engine upgrade this weekend in time for the Canadian Grand Prix, and Gasly has high hopes for it.

“If the step is big we should make a step forward in the ranks,” he said. "I really hope we are going to prove it.

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"But from what I have seen in the last three years as a reserve driver with Red Bull, sometimes you expect something from the engine and it doesn’t really prove it on track.

"I don’t want to get too excited, that’s why I’m a bit cautious," he said. "I want to see pure numbers on data, and after that we will have a clear answer.

“Honda, until now, was slightly behind compared to Renault," he pointed out. "But I hope that we can catch and be at least equal with them after this weekend."

If Honda can indeed attain parity with Renault, then there is a good chance that Red Bull could decide to follow its junior team in changing engine providers at the end of this year.

Red Bull has said it will decide on its engine plans for 2019 by the start of July.

"[Honda and Renault] are really close to each other," Gasly said. "I think that’s why they delayed the decision as much as they can.

“If you go with a new manufacturer it means quite a lot of new work, new relationships," he explained. “At least with Renault they know what they have. It’s a complicated decision."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.