Mercedes’ non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said recently that Red Bull Racing should look to fix their relationship with the French manufacturer, in order to solve their 2016 engine supply issue.
Red Bull is said to be in talks with Renault after not being able to secure a new engine for next year from neither Mercedes, Ferrari nor Honda. It seems like everybody involved with the proceedings is hoping that Red Bull can somehow patch things up with their current engine supplier and line up beside the French works team on the grid next season.
Right now, there’s literally no viable solution for Red Bull, other than to patch things up with Renault. It’s just like Lauda says, “So what do I do if I am Red Bull? I can tell you. Ferrari said no engine, Mercedes can’t because we are four teams already so there is only Renault left.”
“If Red Bull want to continue and I think they want to, then find a way with Renault. If they don’t continue, we have a big problem, not only for Red Bull.”
Last weekend, Bernie Ecclestone defended Red Bull by saying that the four-time world champion team only began to cut its ties with Renault because they believed they had a Mercedes deal on the table back in July. In turn, Mercedes said that there was a particular deal on the table with very specific terms, but Red Bull never finalized the agreement.
While everyone can play this “he said, she said” game, time is running out for Red Bull who appear to have zero chances with Mercedes right now, close to zero with Ferrari (even if they agreed to year-old engines) and a slight possibility with Honda – though McLaren CEO Ron Dennis has opposed that plan publicly.
Working things out with Renault, at this point in time, is by far the smartest thing Red Bull higher-ups can do. And if the last couple of races are any indication of what’s to come next year, Renault might actually deliver a very competitive power unit.
Story references: autosport
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