Renault wants 2017 engine deal with Red Bull

Renault is in talks with Red Bull to extend its engine supply agreement for 2017, and wishes to seal the deal in the coming weeks.

The recent history between the two partners has been marked by a volatile relationship which erupted early last year when the French manufacturer's power unit provided Red Bull with neither reliability nor performance.

It was believed the partnership would not service a dismal 2015 season. But given Red Bull's inability to find an alternative engine supplier, with both Mercedes and Ferrari refusing to release their engine to the Milton Keynes outfit, the team had no other choice but to rekindle its relationship with Renault, albeit on the basis of a different agreement.

For this year, Red Bull has rebranded its power units TAG Heuer, but beyond the name Renault remains the manufacturer of an engine which has showed good progress, both in terms of output and reliability.

While it was assumed however that both partners would be eager to go their separate ways in 2017, with Renault focusing all its efforts on its works team, it has now transpired that the manufacturer is indeed pushing for another extension of the collaboration, with Renault F1 boss Frédéric Vasseur hopeful of a positive outcome.

"To be honest, I think it is the best thing that could happen to Enstone," Vasseur told Motorsport.com.

"It is very important to have a benchmark. So far we know that Red Bull is one of the best chassis on the grid and it is important for us to know exactly where we are, and what will be the target in the short term view.

"To be honest I will push as much as I can for it to stay like this."

Speaking about the pressure which the works Renault team could endure should it remain consistently outperformed by Red Bull, Vasseur was unworried.

"We have to manage the pressure, and we have to live under the pressure. If you don't, you have to stay at home and change your job. Pressure is the best thing to push the team and we need to do it."

New engine regulation constraints and a May 15 deadline demand that manufacturers advise the FIA which teams they intend to supply in 2017. By June 1, should a team remain without an engine supplier , the FIA can compel a manufacturer to supply its engines to that team.

With Mercedes and Ferrari currently partnering with four teams each, it would necessarily fall upon Renault or Honda to fulfill any additional engine supply obligations.

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