Red Bull Racing launched their new-look for 2016 yesterday at a launch event in London but while it was meant to be a celebration, it didn’t take long for team boss Christian Horner to lay into Renault’s power unit.
Horner said at the launch event that he expects the four-time world champions to be beaten by Red Bull’s B-Team, Toro Rosso.
“Teams like Toro Rosso are going to make a big performance jump just by the change of power unit that they have for this year,” said Horner. “But we’re expecting steps to be made throughout the year.”
It’s a big kick in the balls not only for the team but also drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat, who were both “promoted” to Red Bull Racing from the Toro Rosso team.
This season will see Toro Rosso run Ferrari’s 2015 power unit while Red Bull stick with Renault engines rebadged as Tag Heuer.
Toro Rosso’s switch to Ferrari’s power units is something Horner believes will give the team a boost of performance of almost a second per lap.