Christian Horner has cast fresh doubt over Red Bull's Formula One future beyond this year, as their relationship with engine supplier Renault heads for the scrapheap. The team, which won four consecutive drivers' and constructors' championships between 2010 and 2013, has failed to win a race in over a year and has only two podium finishes this season.
Red Bull have a contract with Renault for next year, but the partnership appears unlikely to last beyond this season. Mercedes will not supply Red Bull with an engine in 2016, leaving Ferrari as the team's only option. Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has said the team will withdraw from the sport if they cannot find a competitive engine supplier.
Speaking before the Singapore Grand Prix, Horner echoed Mateschitz's comments, saying: 'You can clearly see there are two competitive power units in Formula One... It is quite clear that one of those will not supply us with an engine, so that leaves really only one option and if that option is not available then you have got to question... he wants to race with a competitive engine or we won't have an engine.'
Asked if that meant Red Bull would not be on the grid, Horner replied: 'It is a risk, and it is a risk that should not be underestimated. If we have no engine, you cannot push the car. There needs to be some sort of grown-up decisions made about the situation that we are in.'
Renault's chairman Carlos Ghosn said the company is 'renegotiating' its deal with Red Bull, but the partnership appears beyond repair. Red Bull are on course to finish fourth in the championship, losing an estimated £13m in prize money. Horner added: 'We have been as patient as we can but we cannot afford for there to be further damage through a lack of competitiveness that this power unit currently represents.'
