So, Red Bull will be a part of the 2016 Formula One season after all. That appears to be the case now that the team has formally lodged its entry with the FIA for next season, putting all the rumors of its Formula One exit to bed — at least for the time being.
With one issue on the verge of being settled, the team can now turn its attention to its other big problem: finding an engine supplier. As it stands, Renault is still the likeliest candidate to continue supplying Red Bull with its engines. but even that is still under negotiations depending on the improvements the French supplier makes on the development of its turbocharged V-6 engines. Those V-6s have regularly under performed since Formula One began using them to replace the old V-8s in 2013, causing Red Bull to stumble back to mediocrity after winning four straight world titles with the old V-8s.
So, while it seems that the Red Bull-Renault marriage will last for another year, we all know that nothing in Formula One is what it seems until an announcement is made. It’s still possible for Red Bull to end what has become a contentious relationship with Renault in favor of partnering up with any of the three series’ other engine suppliers, namely Ferrari, Mercedes, and Honda. Multiple reports indicate that Red Bull has had discussions with all three suppliers, including one with Ferrari to use a separately-developed engine badged under Alfa Romeo, but none of those talks amounted to anything resembling progress.
If Red Bull does push forward and participate in the 2016 season — it has until the end of November 2015 to pay the entry fee — it’s going to be interesting to see which engine partner it’s going to have for the upcoming season. If it’s Renault, it’s going to be difficult picturing the team as a championship contender given how far behind those engines are compared to the dominant Mercedes V-6s. But, if Red Bull decides to go another direction and partners with either Mercedes or Ferrari, it could instantly turn into a team worth looking into ahead of the 2016 F1 season.
Nothing is set in stone yet, but at least there’s some kind of progress on whether we’ll see Red Bull back in the grid next year. At this point, it’s just nice to hear that the dominant team at the start of this decade isn’t giving up hope of returning to that perch just yet.
Continue reading for the full story.
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