Red Bull’s threats to quit Formula One are getting louder and clearer. Unless Red Bull Racing secures Ferrari engines on par with the works team, then it will walk away from the series at the end of 2015.
Red Bull is set for a messy divorce with Renault. The French manufacturer’s engine has been unable to match the speed of the Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari this season. And with Renault set to take over the Lotus team to run its own operation, there’s no point in Red Bull and Renault persisting into 2016.
Mercedes-Benz have already knocked back Red Bull’s request for engines, understandably protecting its works team and the advantage it currently has over its rivals. So hopes rest with Ferrari generosity to keep Red Bull Racing and sister team Toro Rosso on the Formula One grid in 2016.
The following appeared on Red Bull’s own Speedweek website:
“For those among us who have listened closely to what Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz and his motor sports consultant Dr Helmut Marko said recently and who interpret it correctly and put together one and one, a clear scenario emerges: Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso will pull out of Formula One after the 2015 season.
“Red Bull doesn’t want to have customer engines that have 30 to 40 hp less and can be manipulated by the constructor in case of the customer team endangering the works team.
“Red Bull would like to continue in Formula One only if Ferrari is willing to provide true works engines that are on the same level as the engines of [Sebastian] Vettel and [Kimi] Raikkonen.”
Red Bull founder Mateschitz added:
“As a customer team you will only get an engine that is good enough to take away points from their immediate rivals. But this engine will never be good enough to beat the works team.
“With such a customer engine we will never be world champion again. And if that’s the case we lose interest.”
Without Red Bull’s support, Formula One faces the abyss. Not only the loss of two teams, at a time when the series is struggling to fill a grid of sufficiently funded teams, but the likely absence of a sponsor so active in grooming young drivers in various junior categories.
Red Bull is reportedly in negotiations with German carmaker Audi over a takeover bid, though it seems to be hedging its bets on a deal with a brand that’s repeatedly snubbed Formula One in favour of its successful sports car program.
Red Bull knows very well of the perilous state of Formula One at present, so holding its powerbrokers hostage to negotiate a stronger engine deal is a political ploy that’s likely to work.
But Red Bull’s ability to play such games exposes yet again the key flaws in Formula 1: its failure to support independent teams who exist solely to race in the series without adequate funding; complex and costly engine regulations leaving so few competitive options for teams; and the centralisation of power and influence to the leading teams that can dictate their own terms.
And for companies like Red Bull, for whom selling energy drinks is at the core of its business with other advertising possibilities out there away from motorsport, running Formula One teams appears a very tenuous long-term prospect.
A sport relying so heavily on such brands is doomed, a prospect Formula One faces if Red Bull goes through with its threats.
Luke
Guest
Redbull never had the gap that Mercedes currently enjoy, even in 2011 when they dominated. 2010 & 2012 were very tight seasons and in 2014 they only dominated the second half of the season because all other teams switched their attention to their 2015 cars. All their rivals were able to develop their aero packages openly across those seasons Redbull's dominant seasons to compete & the Renault V8 was always down on power vs. their rivals - it was just that Redbull cashed in on the good fuel economy and reliability of the Renault & their superior aero made it work. The situation with engines now is entirely different, where Redbull can't develop to compete when they are 70 - 100hp down and the engines are frozen. I can understand their frustration. Renault should need to answer some questions if they are suddenly competitive next year as a works team.
goodfella
Guest
Can you imagine if the likes of McLaren, Williams, and Sauber had the Red Bull attitude of 'if we don't win most of the time, we're not gonna play'. F1 would have folded a decade ago.
paul andersen
Guest
red bull doesnt need F1 ,but F1 definitley needs red bull. for red bull F1 is just another promotional venue. having races in countries where red bull isnt a big seller doesnt help.
Nate
Guest
While I understand there are implications for the F1 series at large, I am really not impressed with Red Bull in this. "When we were winning, killing everyone by a mile and were clearly technologically in front we had no problem, now others are in front we are going to quit!" F off Red Bull, spoiled losers is what you are.
Not convinced
Guest
Bernie is a very large part of the problem and any "fix" that Bernie achieves will be a band-aid solution for Bernie's sake.
Stevo
Guest
Red Bull will get the Ferrari engines. Bernie will see to it. He knows full well that he cant afford to have two teams drop out of the coming season even with Haas F1 coming in 2016.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
As I point out in my piece, look at the example of Williams. They've existed for almost four decades and operate on a fraction of the budget that Red Bull have, yet they've endured hardships with their performance but at the same time have had more success. Sure, the sport needs to do more to support independent teams and perhaps open up the stranglehold on testing to allow these power-units to develop beyond the woes that Renault and Honda have suffered. But at the same time Red Bull needs to think of a long term solution, because whilst many people here say 'let the whingers quit,' them quitting will leave their future drivers without drives and hundreds of staff unemployed. But as you say Adrian, long term is a tenuous thought to the likes of Didi and co.
Not convinced
Guest
Probably no one will care because less and less people are watching as a result of the current state of F1. But if Red Bull quits, what incentive is there for the smaller teams to remain as well? Those that run F1 have stuffed it over the last few years whereby they've been trying to reduce casts when it appears that all they've done is increase them and then also tie teams up so there's little prospect of developing their cars to be able to at least compete over the course of the year. With VW's problems I wouldn't expect Audi to step in any time soon so F1 is running out of options let alone viewers. So yes, no one will care.
brian drian
Guest
It would be a case of good riddance, such gracelessness is appalling, but that could well mean the end of 2 teams and countless jobs. They really are obnoxious!
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Just a bunch of whingers. Quit then, see if anyone cares.