Formula 1 | Honda, Yamamoto optimistic: "We are closing the gap with Mercedes"

Satisfaction at Honda for the performances shown by Red Bull in this first part of the 2019 world championship. In an interview given to the columns of Autosportweb, in fact, Masashi Yamamoto praised the work carried out by the engineers inside the Sakura base, underlining how no one expected such rapid development, especially after the excellent competitiveness shown by Mercedes in the first part of the championship.

Yamamoto, precisely in this sense, highlighted how the Honda power unit has reached an absolutely high level of competitiveness, almost on par with that of Mercedes. An interesting point of view, but one that will need to be confirmed at the next events in Spa and Monza.

“I think the gap is closing,” said Masashi Yamamoto. “Before Australia we didn't think we could get close to the Mercedes so soon. I have to admit that the developers of HRD Sakura (Honda Technical Research Institute) they did a really good job.”

“Lewis and Max fought wheel to wheel in Hungary and it was impressive to see how much of a gap we managed to give to Mercedes in the first part of the race,” he continued. “At the beginning of the season they would have been close, while now we are able to compete. I'd say it was a fairly fruitful first part of the season."