After enduring a below-par and frustrating Spanish Grand Prix weekend, Red Bull were again making headlines with talk of quitting the sport with the team's straight talking consultant Helmut Marko declaring that the team would leave F1 if if Audi do not opt in to become their engine partners.
"If we don't have a competitive engine in the near future, then either Audi is coming or we are out," Marko told BBC.
But added, "There are so many rumours. Officially there was no request or talks. The VW Group first has to sort out who will be the new chief of support, who will run the brand of VW."
"When they have sorted all these things maybe then they can think about what they are doing in motorsport," said Marko in reference to the corporate revolution taking place at the top of the VW Group which has Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Skoda and Seat in their portfolio.
Ferdinand Piech, who opposed a F1 project throughout the 20 years of his reign, resigned as chairman in March. His aversion to Bernie Ecclestone was well documented.
Currently there is no heir apparent, and a power struggle is on the cards, as Piech's replacement has not yet been identified but a candidate is Audi chairman Rupert Stadler who is keen on an F1 entry, and word is last year Piech blocked Stadler's F1 proposal.
Red Bull currently sponsor Mattias Ekstrom in the DTM Seriesas part of Audi's works effort in the series.
Marko concluded, talk about Audi, cryptically, "I was on the phone but not to the people you think."
Meanwhile the hard reality is that Red Bull are signed up with Renault until the end of the 2016 season, and are committed contractually to Formula 1 until at least 2020.
Right now the situation is dire as both Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat have each used up their four power units per season and it is only race five of the season. Pace setting Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are still on their first PU of the season.
Marko said, "I hope the reliability issues are solved pretty soon because it is really depressing how much we are losing on the straights. Renault see the problems themselves and we have to try and find out these problems together."
"It is not only reliability, it is also that we did not run most of the practice sessions because of other issues. It is also a quality problem," added Marko.
While Red Bull team principal Christian Horner basically threw in the towel in Spain, saying, "I think we are so far on the back foot with reliability anyway that, to be honest with you, this year is pretty much a write-off. You have just got to go for it, even if you end up using 20 engines."
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