Conceding that Honda are still not up there with Mercedes and Ferrari, Christian Horner hopes the next engine upgrade comes at either Spa or Monza.

Fighting with the Ferraris at the British Grand Prix, Max Verstappen felt he was let down by Honda’s straightline speed.

The Red Bull driver declared: “They [Ferrari] had just enough top speed to stay in front of us.”

He still, however, managed to get ahead of both Ferraris and would have beaten them were it not for a late crash with Sebastian Vettel.

But with Honda still lagging behind both Mercedes and Ferrari, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is hoping for an engine upgrade when F1 returns from the summer break.

“It depends on so many things,” the Red Bull team boss told Motorsport-Total.com.

“If we bring a new engine, then the timing would probably be like Spa and Monza.”

He joked: “Monza has traditionally been a good place for us to start with motor penalties.”

Horner, though, is confident that Honda, in their first season powering Red Bull, are on the up.

“I think there’s still time to find,” he said. “They’re doing a good job, and they’re definitely closing the gap.”

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