Red Bull and Renault, the demands of an extension

Christian Horner, the director of the Red Bull team, stated that the decision to pursue the partnership with Renault depends on the possibilities offered to equalize engine performance compared to the competition.

Horner, whose team was seeking to reach an agreement with Mercedes for the current season, believes that the French engine currently used by Red Bull is about 30 horsepower less powerful compared to the competition’s engines. He hopes that teams will work on a solution to unlock the current engine freeze regulations. This would help Renault get closer to the other engine suppliers on the grid, he states:

Renault is an excellent partner to work with, knowing that we have true parity with the Enstone team. The problem, as it has always been, is that under current regulations, the way the engine freeze is set up eliminates advantages and disadvantages, and you might find it ironic to be sitting here, talking about an engine disadvantage despite six pole positions and three wins. But I think it shows the work the guys are doing with the chassis, they’re doing a phenomenal job at the moment because we probably have 20 to 30 horsepower less on the engine side.

He adds:

« While we currently have an advantage with the chassis, this might not be the case in two or three races, and then the engine will become a determining factor for us. So yes, once you have frozen development and thereby frozen an advantage or disadvantage for a period of three to four years, it really turns out to be unfair. The manufacturers need to get together and agree on a formula to move forward together. »

Horner stated that his team was satisfied with their partnership with Renault, and he specified that if the French manufacturer is allowed to improve its engine, Red Bull would be happy to extend this agreement.

«We are very happy with the support we are receiving from Renault. If improvement issues can be addressed, then there will be absolutely no reason to talk about change.»

Horner concludes his reflection by mentioning another engine manufacturer:

I don’t know if a Mercedes engine would be available, but the most important thing is for the manufacturers to come together to agree on a tolerance in order to evolve on certain regulatory aspects.

Certainly, Red Bull has just experienced a dramatic Turkish GP; however, this team is very much in the game this season. For Horner, the implication in this statement is that it’s out of the question for RBR to lose races and possibly the championship due to an underpowered engine. For the moment, the troubles of the Austrian team are not the responsibility of the French engine block. If that were to happen, the German axis would certainly be activated, and we would see a well-known star on the nose of the Red Bull cars as early as next season.