Honda's spectacular progress over the winter with Red Bull has impressed Mercedes boss Toto Wolff who also welcomes a strengthened rivalry with the Milton Keynes-based.
In Melbourne, Red Bull's Max Verstappen brought Honda its first podium in F1 in over a decade. But digging in a bit deeper into the performance numbers of the Japanese unit, Wolff believes "a different Red Bull" has emerged.
"Honda has certainly made a huge step forward," said the Mercedes boss speaking to Formula1.com.
"If you look at the speed trace it looks like a very different Red Bull than before.
"They are very fast on the straights and that is good to see because we want them in the mix and to have a great fight.
"I’m really happy for Honda. It’s their first podium since their return [to F1 in 2015] and they deserve it.
"They went through some really tough times. Seeing the Honda on the podium and seeing how happy the guys are is great."
Looking back at last Sunday's opening round of the 2019 campaign, Wolff took note of Verstappen's ability to swiftly deal with Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari and seal his spot on the podium.
"They were very strong," he conceded.
"You saw how they have eaten up Sebastian into Turn 3, the power was enormous.
"The combination with Red Bull will become a threat. Based on the level of performance, you must certainly have them in the calculation for the championship."
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
