RED BULL AND ENGINES

As the Formula 1 continues to move towards defining its engines for 2021, and working out what to do between now and then to avoid disadvantaging the existing engine suppliers, there is still a question of engine supplies for teams for the last two years of the current formula. It makes no real sense for anyone to change in the last year of the formula in 2020 and so the big decisions need to be made for 2019 and Renault in particular is pushing to know whether Red Bull Racing intends to remain a customer (albeit with TAG-Heuer-badged engines) for the next two years. 

It is an interesting  situation because the wily Bernie Ecclestone put a clause into Renault's contract when the French firm agreed to return to F1 that it must agree to supply Red Bull, if called upon to do so. Unless that agreement is negotiated away (and that is unlikely because Renault has funded its current campaign by borrowing money against its future earnings). The deal is believed to extend until 2025, with Renault's payments not beginning until 2021, so it will be difficult for Liberty Media to get the French company to agree to cancel that deal, unless something better is on the table. Thus Red Bull can have Renault in 2019 and 2020, whether or not the French company wants to supply the engines. 

The question is whether Renault is the best choice in the circumstances, or whether it would be wiser to switch to Honda. Renault is building up its factory team and while Red Bull is still ahead, this is beginning to show pace. Renault is also supplying McLaren and so it is anticipated that the Woking crew will also be in the hunt more often in the future. Going with Honda is a risk that might pay off, but such a decision cannot really be taken before decisions about the rules for the next two years, while Renault wants a yes or no by May 15, the date by which teams are supposed to inform the FIA about their power unit plans for next year. 

It is perhaps logical to wait until the rules for 2019 and 2020 are decided and the FIA is unlikely to force the team to make the choice before that, so we may have to wait a little longer before discovering what happens. Red Bull make wish to align with Honda for the longer term, in order to have a manufacturer of its own, because it is by no means certain that the hoped-for Aston Martin engine will happen. The brand wants to get into F1 but plans for a joint venture engine with other teams and Cosworth seem to have gone rather quiet. Aston Martin Joerg Ross and Luca Marmorini are working on F1 concepts, but Aston Martin needs a technical partner to go ahead. Red Bull is busy designing cars for Aston Martin and so might be able to supply a lot of the funding.

Source: JSBM