Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFormula 1

Red Bull won't quit - Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone doesn't believe Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz is serious about quitting F1 despite recent threats.

Mateschitz warned his team is losing "desire and motivation" in F1 amid Renault's struggles, having been unable to even challenge for a podium so far this season. However, when asked if he believes Red Bull will quit the sport, Ecclestone replied: "I don’t think so.

"I know Mr Mateschitz very well and there would be more chance of him pulling out if he was winning than when he was losing.

"It doesn’t mean it’s because he’s falling out of love [with F1], he wants a divorce. He just needs a new girlfriend, that’s all."

However, Ecclestone - who met with Mateschitz in the Austria paddock on Friday - also doesn't believe the threats are aimed at getting a response from Renault.

"No, I think Renault understand. It really doesn’t matter how much money you have got. If we were in the jungle or somewhere really bad and we had all the money in the world, it’s no good a guy saying, 'We know we need a doctor for our heart' and a guy says, 'I know a good dentist'. It doesn’t help. They’re looking for a competitive engine."

Click here for the gallery of the Formula Una girls at the Austrian Grand Prix

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.