Breaking news
Formula 1
Abiteboul: Top bosses could discuss Red Bull/Renault deal
Renault Formula 1 team principal Cyril Abiteboul admits that conversations about a possible future Red Bull engine supply could take place at the highest level between the top bosses of the two companies.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Oct 14, 2020, 1:51 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Abiteboul acknowledged that the matter might be decided by new Renault CEO Luca de Meo and the Austrian drink company’s boss Dietrich Mateschitz, rather than by their respective representatives in the F1 paddock.
The strained relationship between Abiteboul and Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Helmut Marko is seen by observers as a potential stumbling block on the way to a possible reunion between the two companies, who worked together until 2018.
Renault remains a strong option, unless Red Bull finds a way to retain the use of Honda’s technology, which will inevitably be a more expensive route.
The FIA regulations will oblige Renault to supply RBR and AlphaTauri from 2022 if they haven’t already agreed a deal.
Intriguingly on the grid prior to the Eifel GP either Horner or Marko or both were seen talking to Abiteboul, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto and Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius.
De Meo was also present at Nurburgring, and was caught on camera with Horner, Marko and Abiteboul in the Red Bull motorhome on Sunday morning.
“If you're asking about the level of the discussion, I think Helmut has always been my point of contact for these discussions,” said Abiteboul when quizzed by Motorsport.com.
“So I would expect that he remains so. Having said that you are right, Dietrich Mateschitz knows Luca de Meo. So maybe there will be some discussion going on there.
“There is no such discussion at this point in time. I think first Red Bull is still in the aftershock of Honda's announcement, which may or may not have been news to some persons in Red Bull, it's not clear to me.
“But anyway I think they are still trying to take stock and understand the options. And when comes the time, I guess they will look at what the regulations allow them to do.”
Read Also:
- Brawn hopes 2026 rules will tempt Honda back to F1
- Could Red Bull really take on Honda’s engines in 2022?
Abiteboul says there’s no hurry to discuss a deal, as the rules on engine supply don’t kick in until early next year.
“And as I said on many occasions we know that regulation, but we also know that it's not before a while, it's not before mid-May that we could be requested to supply an engine to whichever team doesn't have a contract in place for '22.
“So there's lots of time as you can measure in F1, between today and mid-May. God knows what can happen. And we'll bridge that gap when we get there."
Asked by Motorsport.com about his high profile chats at the Nurburgring Horner did not deny that engines came up in conversation.
“Obviously, there are three current suppliers remaining past the end of 2021,” he said.
“So it's only natural that we will engage in discussion with those parties. We've got a bit of time on our side to evaluate all the options.
“So inevitably though there is always going to be a discussion about engines when you're without one for the 2022 season.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Tsunoda set for F1 test debut at Imola next month
Next article Mercedes: No safety concerns over Hamilton’s steering wheel
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Red Bull Racing
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
28 min
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Christian Horner opens up on Red Bull F1 exit: “Perhaps it was perceived I had too much influence over the team”
Formula 1
Formula 1 3 h
Christian Horner opens up on Red Bull F1 exit: “Perhaps it was perceived I had too much influence over the team”
Latest news
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
28 min
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Alex Palou to drive Indy NXT machinery in Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 54 min
Alex Palou to drive Indy NXT machinery in Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS
The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend
WEC
WEC WEC
Barcelona
1 h
The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend
Into the unknown: What to expect from WEC's Barcelona debut
WEC
WEC WEC
Barcelona
2 h
Into the unknown: What to expect from WEC's Barcelona debut
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe