Ghosn says no final decision has yet been made and that Renault will pull out of F1 if it does not take over a team.
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How, however, can Renault honour its contracts if it simply splits with Red Bull?
The French car manufacturer is currently involved in detailed negotiations with Lotus with regard to taking a majority stake in the team, and also with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone over whether it will be granted historical status, which in turn will ensure it receives a greater share of future revenues.
With Mercedes turning down a potential Red Bull supply over concerns it would be assisting a key rival, Ricciardo admits a Ferrari supply would cause the same concerns as he believes it would likely prove more competitive with the power unit.
Renault has an engine supply contract with Red Bull until 2016.
“We will honor our contracts, no problem, but the occasion of Renault as a developer and supplier of engines stops”.
“My preference is what’s fastest… whichever is going to give us the better chance of victory is what I want, Ricciardo told reporters on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix”.
Although Alonso is now with the Honda-powered McLaren team and was previously with Ferrari, the Spaniard spent six of his early seasons in Formula One driving for Renault, winning the world championship in 2005 and 2006.
Perhaps it’s a case of “too much, too soon” at Red Bull. No one is suggesting the team has forgotten the hard graft and savvy that won them four constructors titles, but senior management are nevertheless behaving like petulant children by engaging in fault-finding and scattering their expensive toys across the pit-lane.
“If we start on the right foot, I think we’ll be there”.
“It was intensified by the fact that when the technology changed and we moved from the V8 engine to the present technology, some of the teams using our engine did not fare well, and the reasons for which they are not performing became the engine. It is clear that if you provide engines you aren’t mentioned when you win and you are criticised when you have problems”.
But Ghosn said there was still a possibility the company could walk away from F1.
“I think it’s a question of sportsmanship”.
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Or in this case win together, lose apart.
