Christian Horner says Red Bull is expecting to know Renault's plans for the future by the Singapore Grand Prix.

Renault has been in negotiations regarding a takeover of Lotus for a number of months, but no deal has been announced. If Renault becomes a full constructor once again, it would mark the end of Red Bull's partnership with the French manufacturer, with a switch to Ferrari power units now the most likely result.

Speaking after the Italian Grand Prix, Horner said the gap between races needs to see Renault's future clarified.

“I mean obviously time is starting to press on now, we’re now into September and everybody needs to know," Horner said. "What are Renault’s plans for the future? I would have thought within the next two weeks we should all know what Renault’s position is.”

Renault has also been working on a power unit upgrade for this season, but Horner says there are no guarantees Red Bull will take the new engines.

“It hasn’t been confirmed to us when it will be or how much performance it will be either. When we understand what the performance gain is then you’ve got to weigh it up with, ‘Is it worth taking a penalty for?’ So we’ll wait to hear from Renault on that.”

Click here for F1i's technical analysis of the Spa and Monza upgrades

2016 F1 driver line-ups so far

F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.

Recent Posts

Through one lens: Twelve photographs from the 2025 F1 season

  Lewis Hamilton: Australian GP – Albert Park Lewis Hamilton’s very first Grand Prix weekend…

11 hours ago

Two Formula 1 racers born on Christmas day

One driver has a hugely famous name, the other is a special Grand Prix winner,…

14 hours ago

Red with purpose – It’s time for Ferrari to bring it home

As the Ferrari factory in Maranello glows in festive crimson, a sense of anticipation hums…

1 day ago

Norris reveals the quirky private moment his F1 title finally sunk in

Lando Norris had just done the hardest thing in motorsport – winning the Formula 1…

1 day ago

Howden Ganley, McLaren's third-ever employee

A veteran of 41 Grands Prix starts, Howden Ganley - seen here above hitting a…

1 day ago

Leclerc’s ‘naughty’ Christmas gift leaves Russell ‘lost for words’

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc may not have ended the season with a silver trophy in hand,…

2 days ago