The advent in 2014 of the 1.6 litre V6 hybrid power unit reined in the energy of the Red Bull, impeding a highly successful run which had previously resulted in four championship winning titles.
As the team endures a second difficult season in which its performance level has vanished altogether, pundits have expressed various conjectures about its future in F1, fueled mainly by recent comments from team owner Dietrich Mateschitz who said last week that he was losing his 'will and motivation' to stay in Grand Prix racing.
Even Christian Horner was targeted by rumors alleging that his own future with the Milton Keynes outfit may be in peril. But Red Bull Racing's team principal dispelled the tales, and insisted that neither his own nor the team's prospects in Formula 1 should be questioned.
"The situation is quite clear," Horner answered in a Q&A published on the team's website.
"Dietrich Mateschitz made some comments over the weekend and it's exactly how he feels. He is frustrated and he is frustrated with the show. He is a fan as well and as a fan he has put a huge amount of investment into the sport over the last few years and he wants to see the sport go back to its glory days and see it have the same appeal and attraction that F1 has previously enjoyed."
"We're working hard to try and help change things and from a team point of view, we want to be in a position where we can be competitive. At the moment we're in a difficult position and hopefully we can turn that around. The intention is to be here and to sort out the issues in the sport and our own competitiveness."
On the subject of his own future with the team, Horner offered even more clarity.
"Unfortunately in Formula 1 there are always rumours, and this is total rubbish. I'm fully committed to Red Bull and I love what I do. We're working hard and my focus is trying to get the Team back to where we were 18 months ago, that is where my focus is."
Click here for pictures from the final day of in-season testing in Austria
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