Christian Horner says Red Bull have had "healthy dialogue" with Ferrari about 2016; Says the onus is on F1 to ensure Red Bull's two teams find new engine deals to prevent them exiting the sport
Friday 9 October 2015 11:14, UK
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says they are waiting to hear back from Ferrari about whether their rivals are willing to supply them with engines for 2016.
The parting between the former champions and long-time engine suppliers Renault has yet to be formally confirmed, but Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told Sky Sports News HQ in Singapore that "we decided we will split". Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire owner of the energy drinks brand, has also told the Austrian press that the separation has been agreed.
In an interview with Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle, Horner admitted that it was now "a Ferrari engine or nothing" for Red Bull in 2016 with the team's hierarchy warning they are ready to quit F1 if they cannot source a competitive engine, having already been rebuffed by Mercedes.
"Our situation is becoming more clear. We've had some discussion with Renault during the past week and the conclusion of those conversations will be fairly imminent," Horner told reporters on Sunday night.
"The implications that has for the future are far from clear at the moment."
Asked about the state of play with Ferrari, Horner replied: "We have healthy dialogue with Ferrari and are awaiting feedback."
In his earlier interview with Sky Sports F1, Horner expressed confidence that their Italian rivals would be able to supply both them and junior team Toro Rosso with competitive packages.
"Ferrari have a great history of supplying strong customer engines and their engine certainly looks pretty strong at the moment," he said.
"So subject to concluding an agreement with Renault that would be our priority."
While Mercedes are thought to have concluded that supplying Red Bull with engines would be counterproductive to their own chances of remaining F1's dominant force, some within Ferrari are likely to have similar reservations - although their president Sergio Marchionne went on record in June to say that they would be "more than glad" to bail their competitors out.
Horner believes the ball is in F1's collective court to ensure the sport doesn't lose two of its 10 teams.
"The onus is really on the powers that be to come up with a solution or risk losing not only Red Bull, but also Toro Rosso as well," he warned.
"There is a chance [of Red Bull leaving], how big that chance is doesn't depend on us, it depends on others. It is a Ferrari engine or nothing. Mercedes won't supply us and there is no other option."
Don't miss the F1 Midweek Report on Wednesday night at 8.30pm when John Watson and Maurice Hamilton join Anna Woolhouse to discuss the Singapore GP
