Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne remains open to the idea of partnering Red Bull, but warns that it will not be given the same engine as the one used by Maranello’s factory team.
After cutting ties with Renault, Red Bull has yet to find a power supply for 2016. The four-time world champions have tested the waters with the other three engine manufacturers – Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda –, but so far to no avail.
The energy drinks giant has repeatedly demanded to be granted engine parity with the works outfit, but Ferrari and Mercedes are not ready to accept such terms, while McLaren is blocking a potential deal with Honda.
Speaking during last weekend’s Ferrari Finali Mondiali in Mugello, Marchionne reiterated his reluctance to supply Red Bull with factory-level power units. Instead, the Maranello president brought forward another solution to develop a new kind of technical partnership with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
“The possibility of cooperating with Red Bull regarding the development of a power unit remains a valid option, but not in the context of Ferrari providing Red Bull with an equivalent engine to the one used by Ferrari in the races,” Marchionne is quoted as saying by Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The company can provide engineering services for engine production on a separate project for Red Bull, whereby Ferrari is committed to giving its best in terms of engineering so that Red Bull and other smaller teams can have these engines. But it can not be the engine that Ferrari uses in the grands prix.”
According to motorsport.com, Marchionne added that he had already suggested the project to both Red Bull company owner Dietrich Mateschitz and special advisor Helmut Marko.
“I told this to Mateschitz and also to Marko. My dream is not to beat Mercedes. My dream is making Ferrari what it's capable of being.
“It is sharing the essential things that are part of our DNA, but creating what would be a fictitious competition is foolish. Ferrari are able to put their engineering abilities at the disposal of others.”
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