F1 underestimating Red Bull loss - Pirelli

Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery is concerned F1 is underestimating how damaging it would be to lose Red Bull from the sport.

Red Bull has issued numerous quit threats in recent weeks as it seeks parity from either Ferrari or Mercedes as a power unit supplier. However, it appears Red Bull is now left with either the option of taking the Ferrari engines offered by Maranello or leaving the sport entirely after Mercedes opted to supply Manor next year.

With Hembery having said Pirelli would consider its own F1 future if Red Bull left, he told F1i the impact of losing Red Bull should not be taken lightly.

Asked if key figures in F1 are underestimating the damage that could be caused if Red Bull leaves, Hembery replied: “Well, yeah.

"Of course Formula One has had teams come and go throughout its history - it’s not that - there’s only Ferrari and then I guess Williams and McLaren of the historical teams that have had stability, so we’ve had a lot of teams come and go. But we are talking about two high level teams, well-run, high quality teams. So it’s not what you want to have, to be losing the teams.

“How and why they are in the situation is a matter for them, that’s something for the teams to sort out. But looking purely as a sponsor looking in, unless there’s something we don’t know about with somebody moving in to take their place of significant note it would certainly weaken the teams that we’ve got in Formula One.”

And Hembery says he has voiced Pirelli's concerns regarding Red Bull's future, even speaking to the team itself.

“They know. We’ve certainly told Red Bull we didn’t want them to go, that’s for sure. I’m a huge fan personally of young driver development, I’ve always admired what they’ve actually put in. I think they don’t really get a lot of credit for that sometimes. If you look at the four young drivers they’ve currently got racing at the moment they’re all four exciting talents.

"Of course they’re the team that also got Sebastian through to his four world titles. So they have had a major impact on the world of Formula One and it would be a bit remiss of the sport to lose them. But that’s down to them to work out a solution.”

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