Horner praises Renault for huge step forward

About one year after Red Bull Racing and engine partner Renault appeared to be on the brink of a massive relationship collapse, Christian Horner is paying tribute to the team's engine partner.

Red Bull endured the worst season in its history in 2015 as the unreliability and a huge power deficit of its Renault power unit wreaked havoc on the team's level of performance.

Indeed, as acrimony set in, things appeared to come to a head last summer with both partners advocating a split as the only possible outcome of a nine year relationship which had produced four constructor titles.

But eventually, through circumstance more than good will, Red Bull contracted once again with the French manufacturer albeit with TAG-Heuer-badged engines.

Today, Christian Horner believes Renault deserves recognition for its outstanding work and the impact it has had on the Milton-Keynes-based outfit's results as it confirms its status as 'best of the rest' behind Mercedes.

"The most significant area is on the engine, credit where credit is due," Horner told Autopsort.

"The guys, with the restructuring they put in place at the back end of last year, the philosophy changes made, the developments brought in, the engine has clearly made a step forward.

"We've probably halved the gap to Mercedes, and there seems to be a real direction, and good leadership technically at Viry.

"We've made progress on the chassis, and of course these things have to work in combination, but the biggest element I would say is the step forward in the engine."

"The engine we had this year was delivered absolutely on target to what was projected pre-season. If they can do the same again, then hopefully we should really reduce that gap significantly to at least this year's Mercedes, and who knows what they have in the pipeline for next year, but it should be another good step.

Prospects looked grim at the end of last year, but with the team's performance, and the relationship between the two partners, now turned around, Horner feels there is no reason Red Bull can't hold on to its current second place in the constructor's standings.

"We could never have imagined in a million years what we have achieved in the first half of the year, it's been very positive. It's great motivation for everybody to have got back on the right trajectory. You can feel in the factory there's a real buzz around this.

"Our feeling is we should get stronger in the second half of the year and hopefully we can put up a good fight with Ferrari as we head to the end of the championship.

"If we can build on what we've achieved in the first half, and if we could beat Ferrari to second place in the constructors', that would be an unbelievable result."

F1i Classic: The unforgettable Harry Schell

Exclusive F1i interview with Carlos Sainz

Explaining the F1 summer break

Chris Amon: A legend's career in pictures

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter