Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global
Breaking news

Renault explains May ultimatum for Red Bull engine call

Renault is enforcing a May deadline for a new Formula 1 supply deal on Red Bull because the French manufacturer cannot guarantee the team a 2019 engine if it doesn't commit to the partnership before the month is out.

Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport F1 Managing Director and Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull Motorsport Consultant on the grid

Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport F1 Managing Director and Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull Motorsport Consultant on the grid

Sutton Images

Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director, Renault Sport F1 Team, with Marcin Budkowski, Renault Sport F1 Team
Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18, leads Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB14 Tag Heuer, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB14 Tag Heuer, and Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18
Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18 and Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB14 battle
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB14 Tag Heuer, Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18
Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport F1 Managing Director and Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB14 Tag Heuer, leads Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18, Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL33 Renault, and Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W09
Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18 leads Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB14
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB14 Tag Heuer, Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18

Red Bull is weighing up whether to continue with long-time partner Renault for 2019 or strike a works deal with Honda.

The FIA has a May 15 deadline for committing to a supply, which Renault told Motorsport.com earlier this year it wants to honour.

There is flexibility in that deadline and Red Bull wants to wait so it can judge Honda’s progress compared to Renault’s, with both engine makers having upgrades scheduled for mid-June’s Canadian GP.

Although Renault did not agree its current McLaren supply deal until last September, Abiteboul insists his company cannot commit to waiting anywhere near as long for Red Bull.

“Last year there was a late change we could accommodate because it was simply a swap between two customer teams,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

“We were not changing number of suppliers, we didn’t need to change quantities of parts ordered.

“We were keeping the number of teams steady. In the present case, I can only order parts for the number of contracted teams I have.

“By a certain date I will not be able to guarantee availability of a Renault engine to Red Bull Racing. As simple as that.”

Abiteboul explained that securing supplier deals over parts with “very long lead times” normally needed to be done “between the middle and end of May”.

He said Renault had spoken to its suppliers about delaying its usual deadline but stressed that "we are not going to be able to postpone that date massively”.

“It’s not because we want to be difficult, it’s simply because we need to order parts,” Abiteboul added.

“We had the discussion with the FIA over the winter of 2015-2016, regarding an obligation for manufacturers to supply customer teams, subject to a certain notice period. That notice was May 15 the previous year.

“There were reasons for that, those reasons continue to stand, that’s why we are urging Red Bull to make a decision.”

Red Bull operated as a Cosworth and Ferrari customer in its first two F1 seasons and has used Renault engines ever since.

A Honda deal would its first works supply since it joined F1 and Abiteboul said he is confused by the delay because the significance of such a deal is much bigger than simply determining a performance gain.

“This is what we understand they want to find out,” said Abiteboul.

“The question they need to answer is whether they want to remain a factory team or a customer team of Renault.

“That’s not just a matter of one performance improvement in one race.

“In addition to struggling with a lead time, we also don’t really understand the reason why it needs to be delayed.”

 

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Red Bull/McLaren will "look quite different" with Spain updates
Next article Miami GP proposal unanimously approved by city commission

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global