Red Bull: Renault could leave F1

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has said that Renault could leave the sport as early as next year if it is not allowed in-season upgrades of its engine.

Currently Renault just supply the ‘Red Bull’ teams, the main Red Bull Racing team and its sister team Toro Rosso, and have possibly the third best engine in the sport at the moment and could fall behind Honda by the end of the year.

2015 has allowed engines and associated elements to be updated and improved throughout the season following an oversight in the rules, something Renault is backing to stay.

Christian Horner has said to the BBC that it would be “almost waiting goodbye to” Renault, while Renault themselves have said they won’t say in the sport if they don’t have a competitive engine package.

Red Bull have a contract with Renault until the end of next season, with new F1 rules expected to come in for 2017 it would be a good time for the team to change engine manufacturer, although that would surely have to be announced this season if that were to happen given the development time.

The team has been linked to Audi and the VW group over the last year, despite continued denials by the German automotive.

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