Talks with Ferrari over engine supply for next season yet to reach fruition as Horner admits RB12 build schedule now "very, very late"
Friday 9 October 2015 11:13, UK
Red Bull chief Christian Horner says that the team's engine uncertainty has now reached a "critical" point with the programme for their 2016 car already behind schedule.
Engine politics continue to dominate the off-track agenda in F1 with Red Bull's impending divorce from Renault, and their ongoing wait to secure an alternative supply, putting the former world champions' future in the sport on the line.
Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has made clear that he will pull his two teams out of F1 if they cannot source a deal for a competitive engine, with Ferrari now appearing to be their only hope after talks with Mercedes collapsed.
However, when asked Sky Sports F1 at the Japanese GP, Horner refused to deny that Ferrari had so far only offered Red Bull a 2015 version of their engine for next season.
Speaking after Sunday's race, the team principal admitted that their situation for 2016 had to be resolved soon with just two months of this season remaining.
"The current situation is quite critical because as we sit here we don't have an engine," he told reporters.
"The important thing for us is to have a first-class engine. First of all we need to conclude our situation with our current supplier, but Dietrich has made the situation very clear [about what needs to happen]."
Although the start of next year's pre-season testing programme is currently scheduled to start a month later than normal in March, teams would ideally by now have long known which engines they will run for 2016 so the architecture can be worked into their designs.
Asked what their deadline was to build the RB12, Horner replied: "We are already very late. For Toro Rosso it's more critical than for Red Bull Racing. But it was already difficult two weeks ago, so we're very, very late."
With Mercedes having decided against supplying one of their chief rivals with the power unit that has dominated the sport for the last 18 months, Ferrari are now weighing up the practicalities - and detail - for any such arrangement of their own.
Horner was seen in fresh discussions with Ferrari's management in the paddock during the Suzuka race weekend. Speaking on Sunday night, Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was staying tight-lipped on the state of those talks.
"As Mercedes, as Honda, as Renault, we do car and engine so we are talking with everybody," he said. "There is an offer and the offer needs to match the need. All business is like this. I can say nothing more than that."
Don't miss this the F1 Midweek Report for analysis of the Japanese GP. Natalie Pinkham is joined by David Brabham and Ted Kravitz on Wednesday at 8:30pm on Sky Sports F1.
