F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Tost no fan of Red Bull renewing partnership with Renault

AlphaTauri F1 boss Franz Tost says a renewed association between Red Bull and engine supplier Renault from 2022 would likely quash the former's championship chances in the future.

Red Bull is pushing for a mandatory freeze on engine development from 2022 to allow it to take over Honda's engine program.

However, discussions are still ongoing among F1's manufacturers over the implementation of development freeze. While Mercedes sees a stats quo as a "sensible proposition" and Ferrari has given a conditional green light to a freeze, Renault has expressed its reticence over the concept.

The proposal is set to be debated again this week. But if Renault remains inflexible, the French manufacturer would then likely be required by the FIA to supply its power unit to Red Bull's teams from 2022, a prospect that hardly excites Tost.

"Renault have a works team. I can hardly imagine we would get a power unit with which we could compete successfully in races," Tost told Motorsport-Magazin.com.

"You have to assume Red Bull and [Red Bull owner] Mateschitz have different demands. They want to compete in the World Championship. They need the appropriate power unit material."

Pressed for time, Red Bull urgently needs to see its power unit requirements for 2022 clarified as soon as possible as next year's car is on the design board at Milton Keynes, a fact that isn't lost on Red Bull's rivals who continue to play the waiting game according to Tost.

"This is the usual game of the manufacturers who are in the lead,"said the Austrian.

"Even if they keep saying they agree, basically they don’t agree and they just want to buy time."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

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

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

A Lotus blossoms in Monaco for the very first time

Colin Chapman's Team Lotus entered Grand Prix racing on this day in 1958, fielding a…

21 minutes ago

Palou takes stunning Indy 500 pole for Ganassi: ‘I have no words’

Talk about a masterclass in speed! On Sunday at the Brickyard, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex…

1 hour ago

Coulthard flags hidden challenge behind Antonelli’s shock title bid

David Coulthard believes Kimi Antonelli’s rapid rise to the top of the Formula 1 world…

2 hours ago

Horner gives insight into post-Red Bull life at Monaco E-Prix

Less than a year after his dramatic exit from Red Bull following last summer’s British…

3 hours ago

Lindblad left frustrated by lost F1 mileage amid troubled start

Arvid Lindblad arrived in Formula 1 carrying the weight of expectation and the confidence of…

5 hours ago

‘It’s exponential’: Apple bullish on F1’s 'beautiful' future in the U.S.

Formula 1’s American revolution is no longer being discussed as a novelty. Inside Apple, it…

21 hours ago