A 2019 engine development problem for Honda? What does this mean for Red Bull?

New season, new hopes and well, some fresh trouble for Red Bull?

The one reason, they said was behind Daniel Ricciardo’s exit from Red Bull was the team’s alliance with new engine suppliers, Honda. And interestingly, the one reason, according to Verstappen, that is slated to give Red Bull the motivation to lift them further up in Formula 1 is their brand new alliance with the iconic Japanese engine supplier Honda.

In a world where opinions can be polarising but the objective behind Grand Prix racing always remains singular; win and win alone, it appears there’s something conflicting about the Christian Horder-led outfit, Red Bull.

With the dust having settled on the 2018 Formula 1 season a long time back, all eyes are keenly hooked onto what lies ahead: the 2019 season. This is, of course, going to be the year wherein nearly half a decade of them racing together, no more will Max Verstappen, still Red Bull’s ace pilot and Daniel Ricciardo, now Honda-bound will be racing together for the same team.

And just when everyone was expecting for Red Bull’s morale to be on an all-time high, given their alliance with Honda, among the most successful engine suppliers in Formula 1, along comes a piece of news that is both gripping and worrying.

It appears that the Honda engine development for the 2019 season has hit a roadblock right ahead of the 2019 car launch, which is approximately a month away.

Wondering what that is, kindly read the following:

In what appears to be a first pre-season concern for Honda’s 2019 development program, there seems to be a concern with the power unit to be used by the two Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen, and Pierre Gasly. So what exactly is the issue?

Popular online motor journal Autobild shared that there seems to be a disagreement between the Honda engineers and the consultancy AVL. AVL, it must be reminded, have previously worked with Ferrari’s Formula 1 team. And the end result of this disagreement is that there’s been a slowdown where the engine development is concerned.

Having said the above, this issue was confirmed by none other than Dr. Helmut Marko, former racing driver and current advisor to Red Bull Formula 1 team.

While one certainly hopes that this snag is resolved and at the earliest, there may be worries concerning what had happened in the course of the past.

Fans may still remember that owing to a lot of communication issues that existed between Honda and McLaren, one saw the latter head toward a sharp downward spiral, a sudden change in the fortunes for one of Formula 1’s most iconic racing marquees.

And while Red Bull, at this point in time, according to Autobild, are working toward the Powerboost that will help the team a great deal, there’s another issue.

So, what is that?

Here’s what Red Bull fans are advised to know and read about:

Honda power units are unable to run at their full capacity due to strong vibrations in the Internal Combustion Engine. 

Is this a problematic issue?

At this point in time, former Mercedes engine boss Mario Illien has been drafted in an attempt to solve the problem, although one has seemingly yet to be found. And all that told, Dr. Marko is of the view that the issues may soon be resolved and that Verstappen, his star driver will still fancy a lot of chances of success in the coming season.

Here’s to you, Max! Let’s just hope that all is sorted and that we have some gunslinging racing up ahead in 2019, what say?