Red Bull wins with Honda in 2019 realistic - Tost

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Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost says that based on what he's seen so far from Honda, senior bull outfit Red Bull Racing will be in a position to win races next season.

The Faenza-based squad is doing the ground work for Red Bull this year, putting a highly improved Honda power unit to the test and preparing the Japanese manufacturer's terrain for its sister team.

"Our collaboration with Honda is fantastic," Tost told Marca sports newspaper.

"Honda is a very good and very serious company and they have improved a lot compared to last year."

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Tost says a Red Bull win with Honda in 2019 is actually a realistic possibility.

"To win races with our structure is difficult. Red Bull has three times the staff that we do. Everything is at another level, but Honda is a very successful company that wants to win races," said the Austrian.

"In Canada we had an improvement that gave us three tenths. We will have another in America and in 2019 there will be more. I am convinced that the power unit will be very competitive," he added.

For many, the jury is still out when it comes to judging how Red Bull Racing's drivers will perform next season with Honda power in their back, with memories of McLaren's dismal spell with the manufacturer in their memories. Daniel Ricciardo for one, obviously isn't a believer in his team's prospects, having decided to move on to Renault.

According to Tost however, McLaren had it all wrong, and that was a chance for Toro Rosso.

"Luckily, McLaren was wrong. I already knew it last year when I said 'Jesus, how can you criticise such a fantastic collaborator and the money they put in?'

"We know that their chassis was not the best, so now when they were smiling at us, I think now it is my turn to smile," he added.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.