Red Bull billionaire boss Dietrich Mateschitz does not say much considering his sizable investment in Formula 1 for over a decade, when he does it's worth taking note of what he has to say.
Mateschitz said in a rare interview with Welt am Sonntag, "In the last few years, we have been among the top three teams, but we were managing to do so with a below average engine."
It is clear that Renault are lagging well behind Ferrari and Mercedes in the Formula 1 horsepower stakes as it currently stands, some believing that the gap has actually increased since the beginning of the season.
From the outset, Mercedes got on top of the technology from the moment the first race ran with hybrid-turbo power units back in 2014 and have dominated since then. Ferrari have chased gamely and now may even have edged ahead, while Renault are simply nowhere.
"Both Ferrari and Mercedes were at risk of Red Bull being faster than their factory teams, so they would not give us an engine," recalled Mateschitz, with reference to the near split between his team and Renault a couple of years ago.
With no engine supplier - Mercedes and Ferrari outright refusing - Red Bull were forced to patch up their relationship with Renault who in turn were contractually obliged by the FIA to supply the team. One condition was that Red Bull officials had to stop trash talking the French manufacturer.
Since then the two organisations have existed in a tense alliance that has at times boiled over into a media attack from either side but considering the animosity fireworks have been less regular between the heads of each organisation.
Last year a complex deal hammered out between F1, FIA, McLaren, Renault, Honda and Red Bull resulted in the energy drinks outfit accepting Honda engines for their Toro Rosso junior team, allowing McLaren to take over the Renault supply.
Red Bull, who have been able to evaluate Honda's progress through their junior team, are convinced of the Japanese automotive giant's commitment to the sport and have opted to do a deal which means au revoir to Renault.
Mateschitz is convinced that his team have made the right call with regards to the future direction of his teams in the top flight, "The solution to our problem is a partner that has all the prerequisites for developing a top engine that fits perfectly with Red Bull and vice versa."
"The goal can only be a joint journey to the very top," declared the Austrian billionaire whose team won eight consecutive Formula 1 world championships - drivers' and constructors' titles - between 2010 and 2013.
Latest News
Loading
