Watching the speed of Honda's progress with their engine and their performance in Canada made Red Bull's decision to switch "pretty clear cut", according to team boss Christian Horner.

An announcement was expected sometime before the end of this month with many expecting it would come at the company's home race in Austria next weekend, however, on Tuesday the news came that the Milton Keynes-based outfit will join junior team Toro Rosso as customers of the Japanese manufacturer.

Though potentially irking their long-time partner Renault, coming just days before their first home race in France in 10 years, Horner believes there was no reason to wait in announcing the switch once the deal was done.

"We decided that based on the information we had from Montreal – our decision, driven by engineering, was pretty clear cut in the end," said the Briton.

"We've been in a privileged position to have a front row seat to monitor the progress of how Honda have been getting on in our sister team at Toro Rosso versus our own power supply.

"It's been great to see that progress. We've come to the conclusion that Honda are making good strides, good progress on both performance and reliability, and therefore we've made the difficult decision to change power units after 12 seasons to something new for 2019 onwards.

"Renault were also very interested to have a decision as soon as possible to get their own plans in place, the timing was right to make that commitment, make that decision, and hence the announcement today."

With the experience of McLaren's difficult three-year project with Honda still fresh in all minds, some are wondering if this could spell doom for Red Bull and their hopes of fighting for the championship.

"We've been trying to do that over the last couple of years, and of course the power unit is a vital element within an F1 car," the team boss stated.

"We're confident that Honda have the right infrastructure, the right resources, the right technical capacity and determination to help us in our quest to reduce the gap to the teams ahead of us, Ferrari and Mercedes."

Masashi Yamamoto, Honda's motorsport chief, is also confident Red Bull can depend on him and his team to allow them to remain competitive at the front.

As a starting point, we do not want to see Red Bull Racing’s performance drop below its current level, but our target is to go further and do better than they are doing at the moment," he said.

“[Red Bull] has won several championships and this year too it has already won some races. In addition, it is also obvious that they have a very good chassis.

"This means we’ll have better chances of winning races. This gives further motivation to all the members of Honda, but at the same time, it is a huge pressure and responsibility for us.

"It is Honda’s nature to always aspire to a very high target, and I think that’s what makes Honda, Honda."

Brendon Hartley is no longer under the immediate threat of being dropped at Toro Rosso, according to the head of Red Bull's young driver program Helmut Marko.

The New Zealander has faced questions at the last two races about his future, with names like Pascal Wehrlein, Robert Kubica and Lando Norris all linked to his seat at some point.

All along the former WEC champion has defended his position, claiming he has a contract for the full season, and now it appears his pace in Canada, prior to his Lap 1 crash with Lance Stroll, has earned him a reprieve.

“If the trajectory had not improved, then we would have had to look somewhere for an alternative,” Marko was quoted by PlanetF1 as telling German media.

“But that’s not the case and Brendon is now competitive.”

And Hartley insists he will only continue to get better as he gains more F1 experience.

“It is a bit annoying but that is part of the business and I felt good about how I handled the whole situation," he said ahead of this weekend's French GP.

“I feel like every weekend I’m getting stronger and stronger. I’m an old fella in some ways but I’m a rookie to F1 and as the weekends go by I’m understanding more, what it takes to get the best out of these Pirelli tyres, and what I’m looking for in terms of balance and set-up.

“I feel motivated and very eager to get to Paul Ricard where I’ll work hard to make my own luck.”

Ahead of the French GP, Valtteri Bottas believes Mercedes loss to Ferrari in Canada means the team no longer heads to every race as the favourite.

A quality issue with an upgrade meant all six Mercedes-powered cars on the grid had to use the same engine which had completed the first six races on the long straights of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

In the battle at the front, that was much of the reason for Sebastian Vettel being able to take a comfortable victory in Montreal with Bottas second and Lewis Hamilton fifth, following an additional cooling problem.

However, this weekend at Paul Ricard, circumstances may swing back in the German manufacturer's favour.

“It’s different Grand Prix, different kind of tyres and it’s positive we’re going to have the new engine, which we would have needed [in Canada] to win the race,” the Finn told Sky Sports.

“Hopefully we can have some other upgrades as well on the car because every team is developing now race by race and the competition is getting tougher."

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It was the defeat on a circuit which Mercedes has dominated during the hybrid era that has Bottas measuring expectations.

“We went [to Canada] knowing that in theory, it would be a good track for us," he began.

“We came with even the old engine thinking there’s a very good chance we were going to be fighting for the win. But it wasn’t the case and it shows how tough the development race is now and we need to keep improving.

“We are definitely not the favourites for the French Grand Prix, that’s a fact.”

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IndyCar team owner Michael Andretti could be considering a takeover of the embattled Force India outfit, according to a veteran of the Formula 1 paddock Joe Saward.

As owner Vijay Mallya faces legal trouble at home and his financial situation worsens, the Silverstone-based team has been linked with a buyout for much of the year, with British energy drinks company Rich Energy named as a possible suitor.

But, while many saw his time in the McLaren garage with Fernando Alonso at the Canadian GP as a sign the Spaniard might be heading full-time to the States in 2019, in his blog on Motorsport Week, Saward revealed Andretti's purpose of visit may have been as much about adding F1 to his racing portfolio.

"He was accompanied by his company president J-F Thormann and the familiar figure of Pieter Rossi, father of Andretti driver, Indy 500 winner and sometimes F1 driver, Alexander Rossi," he commented.

“You wouldn’t need the other two to get a deal with Alonso to race an Andretti-run, McLaren-badged Indycar, so it was obvious that they were also up to other things.

“Visits to Liberty Media and Force India suggested that they were there to sniff around and see if a deal could be put together to acquire the troubled team.”

After finishing fourth in the Constructors' Championship the past two years, 2018 has been more of a struggle with the 'pink panthers' not featuring in the top 10 anything like as much as they were last season.

Their car was also the last to be launched, doing so on the morning of the first test in Barcelona and now COO Otmar Szafnauer has revealed the potential reason for why Force India has slipped back.

“It’s no secret we asked for a bit of money up front (from Liberty Media) so that gets us through the winter,” he said.

“This year, that money wasn’t forthcoming because I think some of the teams said ‘You can’t do that’ and blocked it. So that… put a bit of a financial strain on us over the winter, if you don’t have the cash flow.

“But now we’re past the winter months it should be easier for us.”

As for the possibility of an Andretti buyout, nothing has yet been said publicly, but Saward does think it could bring a lot of value to F1 should it happen.

“Having an Andretti team in F1 would be a terrific thing as the World Championship seeks to make a bigger impression in the United States," he said.

"[Force India] is a great opportunity as there is a competitive turnkey F1 operation, which would simply require a bit of rebranding.”

Exciting rookie Charles Leclerc admits he is still adjusting to life in Formula 1 with the jump from F2 proving much bigger than he expected.

The Sauber driver is enjoying a strong run of form with four consecutive Q2 appearances in qualifying and has converted those into eventual points finishes on three occasions, including a P10 last time out in Canada.

Despite already earning the praise of many of his peers with his performances, the young Monegasque says his approach doesn't allow him to feel settled at a certain level.

"I'm not someone that always feels confident about himself," he claimed before this weekend's French GP.

"Okay they are good results. But after every race I always try to find a negative about myself and try to improve them. I'm always trying to improve - and I think that's also a strength."

It was the 20-year-old Ferrari junior's comments about the step up from F2, where he dominated in 2017, to the highest pinnacle in motorsport that were most interesting, however.

"Even being in this sport since I was three, I did not expect that jump to be so big," Leclerc acknowledged. "You need to learn how to work with so many people, and for me that was quite difficult in the beginning.

"In F2 you are only speaking to one person, which is your engineer. But here you have so many people that are taking care of smaller areas than you have in F2. That takes a little bit of time to get used to."

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That is why, he believes, it took him a few races to find his bearings in F1 before going on to score his good run of results.

"The goal is the same, to do the best job possible in the car," he stated. "It was difficult for me at the beginning, maybe what I would have wished is to understand the car a bit quicker.

"If I could have changed something, that's the thing I would have changed," he added. "But two races, let's say three races, to learn completely the car is not huge."

Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner has cast doubt on the impact changes to the front and rear wings will have on the racing for 2019.

Following a disappointing Australian GP to start the year, the FIA focused turned to a study which was already being conducted under the guidance of Pat Symonds and Ross Brawn for Liberty Media, ahead of an overhaul of the technical regulations in 2021.

The goal of their research is to design cars which encourage closer racing and more overtaking, therefore, the wings are set to be wider and simpler next year with the DRS also made more powerful.

However, Steiner believes the actual impact the tweaks will have is unknown.

"These aero people, they do a study in a week, and they say 'This is what it is', then they do a study of two months, and [the outcome is] completely different, because they use every little bit of how the regulation is written to get as much performance," he claimed.

"The three-week study was out of a good purpose, to make overtaking easier but now the aero guys are on it too [with a different focus], forget about overtaking, get performance.

"They are working to find out how much it is actually doing. I don't think anybody has the answer yet."

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• Mercedes boss Wolff surprised by level of anger at 2019 aero changes
• GPDA chairman Wurz hopes 2019 changes a first step towards end of DRS

As with any regulation change concerning the external design, it does require a certain amount of a re-think of the overhaul car philosophy. Not only is that expensive but as the Italian pointed out, also time-consuming.

"We [Haas] are still looking to find out how much it affects what we are doing," he admitted. "They need to do some CFD [computational fluid dynamics] runs to see what the new front wing does.

"Then they decide, in the next two to three weeks, if we focus a little bit more on 2019 than with the old regs.

"There is a point we will need to switch to 2019, and with the limited windtunnel development and CFD time, everybody is in the same situation.

"I think we will for obvious reasons - we don't want to be behind."

It's official, Red Bull will switch from Renault to Honda engines from 2019 the team announced on Tuesday.

Late on Monday, speculation in French media began that the big decision had been made and it was confirmed with a two-year deal between the Milton Keynes outfit and the Japanese manufacturer that was dumped by McLaren just nine months ago.

The switch ends a decade-long partnership between Red Bull and Renault which saw them win four world titles together between 2010 and 2013, but after falling behind Mercedes and Ferrari when the current hybrid era began in 2014, relations have often been strained and at the first reasonable opportunity, the Anglo-Austrian team has jumped.

“This multi-year agreement with Honda signals the start of an exciting new phase in Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s efforts to compete not just for Grand Prix wins but for what is always our goal: championship titles,” team boss Christian Horner said confirming the switch.

“We have always taken decisions such as this dispassionately and with only one criteria in mind: do we believe the outcome will allow us to compete at a higher level?

“After careful consideration and evaluation, we are certain this partnership with Honda is the right direction for the team."

Honda has made considerable progress since moving from McLaren the junior team Toro Rosso at the start of 2018 and an upgrade brought in Canada saw another strong step forward in performance while reliability has also been much, much better.

“We have been impressed by Honda’s commitment to F1, by the rapid steps they have made in recent times with our sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso, and by the scope of their ambition, which matches our own,” Horner added.

“We look forward to working with Honda in the coming years and to racing together in pursuit of F1’s biggest prizes.”

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• Renault ready to leave Red Bull without immediate 2019 engine decision
• Red Bull incapable of recognising Renault's "loyalty" and "commitment" - Abiteboul

The Briton was also complimentary of their now out-going partner for what they had done for the team during their lengthy time together.

“We would like to thank Renault for the past 12 years, a period during which we experienced some incredible moments together,” he reflected.

“We have sometimes had our differences but Renault has always worked tirelessly and to the best of its ability to provide us with a competitive power unit.”

Given that Honda is still considered the weakest of the four engine suppliers, many will wonder if this is the right move for Red Bull, none more so than Daniel Ricciardo who is out of contract at the end of the year.

Renault drivers Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg admit motivation is a little higher ahead of the manufacturer's first home race in a decade at the French GP.

Having come home in seventh and eighth last time out in Montreal, consolidating their position as the top midfield team on the grid, expectations are high for at least a repeat around Paul Ricard this weekend.

One aspect that is being talked about in the build-up is the varying degree of experience the drivers have around the circuit, which last hosted F1 in 1990, but having driven there ahead of his Le Mans run with Porsche in 2015, Hulkenberg knows the demands pretty well.

"The characteristics of the circuit are quite similar to the last round in Montréal," he claimed. "Especially the long straights with the need for a high-top speed, as well as heavy braking zones."

Revealing how drivers prepare for a track on which they have limited knowledge, the German explained: "Completing laps on the simulator is a good starting point, and we’ll be spending a day at Enstone going through set-ups and trying to get some data on board before we head there.

"Friday practice is going be important for all teams and drivers to get up to speed of learning a new circuit, but that’s a challenge I look forward to and I’ll be doing my best to discover some secrets!"

As for the opportunity to represent Renault in France, the Hulk added:  "I’m very much looking forward to racing at Circuit Paul Ricard. It’s been a long time coming for Renault, ten years since their last race on home soil

"I’m carrying that extra level of motivation to do the job proud on track. I know how much this means to the staff members of the team!"

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• Ricciardo hoping prior Paul Ricard experiences helps at French GP

Teammate Sainz also expected an "extra boost" but also called on Renault to continue the strong momentum they have built in recent races.

"We need to keep developing the car at this rate. Everything we are bringing to the circuit is working and I feel we are making good progress.

"This is translating into points, shown at the past few races. It’s good to be consistent and to keep picking up points at every race.

"That’s the target every weekend, so let’s make it six in a row in France!"

2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button admits he would have left the sport earlier if he could and enjoys an "awesome" life now.

The Briton gave up his seat at the end of 2016 to allow Stoffel Vandoorne to finally get his well-earned promotion at McLaren, but he would stay on in an ambassadorial role and filled in for Fernando Alonso at the Monaco GP, with the Spaniard racing at Indianapolis.

He would retire from that race after colliding with Pascal Wehrlein and would leave McLaren at the end of the year, switching to Japan's Super GT series with Honda, where he currently leads the championship.

“It’s been awesome," he told ESPN. “I’ve definitely done my years in F1 and stepping away was great, it was a good time for me to do it.

“Realistically, if I’d had the choice, I would have left half-way through the year [2016]. I’m much happier as a person now, life is great, and I’m racing things I’ve always wanted to race in.”

This past weekend, he joined Alonso at the Le Mans 24 Hours as part of the SMP Racing LMP1 entry but would be forced to retire after reliability problems early on.

Daniel Ricciardo hopes being one of only a few drivers to have raced at Paul Ricard could be an advantage as Formula 1 returns to France for the first time in a decade this weekend.

Last time the home of Grand Prix racing was on the calendar it was at the Magny-Cours circuit in the middle of the country, this time it is at Le Castellet which hasn't welcomed F1 since 1990 and has been considered more a test facility than a racing venue.

Some junior series do still make the trip with the Australian doing so in 2011 in the Formula Renault 3.5 category, finishing sixth and second in the two races that took place, the only possible blip...

"I don’t know what configuration we will be using compared to back then," he admitted with Paul Ricard offering numerous layout options down the Mistral Straight in particular.

Ricciardo, who won in the Principality of Monaco in the South of France last month, is also pleased to see the French Grand Prix back where it belongs on the F1 schedule.

"It’s cool," he said. "Fingers crossed it provides a good race not only for the French fans but the rest of the world.

"Maybe I will even speak perfect French by the end of the weekend as it’s been a month of French-speaking races!' he quipped. "Merci beaucoup, enchanté."

Having been a test track for most of the last 15 years, safety at the circuit is among the highest at any in the world including plenty of blue-striped run-off areas which the Red Bull driver concedes won't be as fun as the recent street tracks.

"As far as adrenaline goes, it’s probably a bit more mellow than the last few tracks," he noted. "But if the racing is good then it makes up for it, so hopefully we will get that balance.

"There are some long technical corners, which aren’t always that fun, but they’re a challenge and if you get them right you appreciate it.

"The track will also allow some variations in driving technique and style, which could make it interesting," he predicted.

As for teammate Max Verstappen, this will be his first racing experience at Paul Ricard having only driven in the F1 wet tyre test there in 2016.

"From what I have seen it is a power track with long straights," he said. "But there are still a few corners in there where we can make a difference.

"It’s all a bit unknown, so we will have to see when we get there. I’m looking forward to seeing a new Grand Prix weekend."