As the 2016 Formula 1 landscape is beginning to take shape, Red Bull and Toro Rosso have been left standing in the dark after filing to sever ties with Renault.
It wasn’t that long ago that Red Bull were absolutely fed up with their underwhelming Renault power unit and filed a partnership termination document, subsequently accepted by Renault. Well, that’s great if you’ve got an ace or two up your sleeve, but as it stands right now, both Red Bull as well as Toro Rosso are without an engine supplier.
After their obvious first choice (Mercedes) turned them down, Red Bull looked to Ferrari who seem equally unwilling to share their latest technology with a team that might just as well perform even better than they would next year.
Red Bull insist that if they don’t get the same engines as the Ferrari works team next year, they will walk away – and that’s what Bernie Ecclestone is desperately trying to avoid.
“I am doing everything I can to make sure Red Bull stay with us, but things need to come together quickly. He [Dietrich Mateschitz] is serious when he says he will quit if things don’t improve,” said the F1 boss.
While it’s unfortunate, Red Bull really don’t have any other choice but Ferrari right now. Rumors of a potential Honda partnership did float around a bit (for Toro Rosso) but it seems that neither team would be willing to make that happen.
“Red Bull obviously want the best engines so they can compete, but Mercedes and Ferrari don’t want to do that because they fear what will happen. It is not ideal but Mr Mateschitz will have to be patient. We definitely do not want them to leave,” added Ecclestone, who now has to convince Ferrari to compromise their chances as a title next season.
In a way, it’s easy to understand Ferrari’s position on this issue, even though it would be very sad to watch one of the greatest teams in Formula One this past decade depart.
Story references: planetf1
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