MAY 6, 2016

Red Bull waiting to decide future with Renault

Red Bull is waiting until Canada before turning its attention to the future of its deal with engine supplier Renault.

Red Bull is waiting until Canada before turning its attention to the future of its deal with engine supplier Renault.

After a tumultuous semi-works relationship came to a head last year, the former world champion team agreed a one-year customer deal with Renault for 2016 involving the re-branding of the 'power units' as Tag-Heuer.

In the meantime, the French carmaker bought Lotus and is back at full works status this year, with Red Bull officials saying that renewed focus has resulted in a definite step forward as regards the quality of the engine.

Nonetheless, Red Bull is waiting for a further performance step from Renault - expected in Canada next month - before deciding if it wants to extend the deal into 2017.

"Before deciding on the future with Renault, we await their developments," Dr Helmut Marko, a leading Red Bull official, told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But for the moment we are very satisfied. It is a completely different situation than in 2015," he added.

(GMM)