RED BULL’S RISING SUN
RED BULL HAS ANNOUNCED A SWITCH FROM RENAULT TO HONDA POWER FOR 2019. THE MOVE COMES AS NO SURPRISE. BUT THE THINKING BEHIND THE OUTCOME WAS AS COMPLEX AS ITS FUTURE EFFECT
THE relationship between Red Bull and Renault could not have had a better beginning, as the combination gathered eight drivers’ and constructors’ world titles, 57 wins and 151 podiums during a truly dominant run from 2010 to ‘13. This was a “works” deal insofar as Renault, as engine supplier, saw Red Bull as its flagship partner.
BUT then the political plates began to shift. Renault returned to running its own Formula One team by regaining control of the Lotus F1 Team in 2016.
More importantly, 2014 had seen the introduction of a totally different power-unit formula with the emphasis on energy retention.
While Mercedes (and, to a lesser extent, Ferrari) was ready, it was immediately apparent that Renault had not devoted enough time, money and manpower to the hybrid formula. It was gap that could not be closed overnight and, having basked in the glory years, Red Bull was suddenly short on horsepower and options. Tentative enquiries elsewhere quickly revealed that neither Mercedes nor Ferrari were keen to have their power units in the back of a chassis benefiting from the design brilliance of Red Bull’s Adrian Newey.
As the seasons ticked by, life in the also-ran division led to increasingly acrimonious comments from Red Bull and brought the relationship with Renault close to breakdown. That, in itself, was another reason for Mercedes to decide against supplying Red Bull.
"It is exactly because they are undermining their current partner that they are not having a Mercedes engine," said Toto Wolff, team principal at Mercedes, at the end of 2017. "In F1, like everywhere else in life, it's about compromise and acknowledging your partner's strengths and weaknesses and helping each other out. That is very much the culture we have at Mercedes and that has made us successful in the last few years. Respect is a super important part of our values and this is why we have chosen the partners we have.”
For Red Bull, the choices had become severely limited. There were two alternatives: either build its own engine (possibly with Porsche or extend an existing relationship with Aston Martin’s Valkyrie project); or look for a works deal. When the in-house engine option was ruled out, that left Honda. But which team in their right mind would wish to take that chance given the woeful record established by Mclaren and Honda? If Red Bull thought things were bad with Renault, Honda seemed 10 times worse … if you believed everything Mclaren’s Fernando Alonso had to say.