Christian Horner has acknowledged Renault is now getting serious about fixing its obvious problems in formula one.
Earlier, the Briton and other Red Bull officials were scathing of the French supplier’s performance and reliability so far in 2015, and the problems did not appear to significantly lessen in Bahrain at the weekend. Horner’s highly critical tone, however, notably eased in the island Kingdom, although he did joke that the engine used by Daniel Ricciardo on Sunday would now be best suited for nothing more than a “coffee table”.
He says Renault has finally acknowledged the need to seriously react. “Last week, after the Chinese grand prix, I was in Paris where we had very constructive discussions with Renault representatives,” said Horner.
Media reports have suggested no less a figure than Renault chief executive Carlos Ghosn has admitted the problem and guaranteed additional funds. “Renault wants to change the situation,” Horner confirmed, “they want to succeed in formula one, because the situation at the moment is not good for them. “Of course, that cannot be achieved for free. They understand that and seem to have found a solution.”
Red Bull, however, has also been accused of contributing to its own difficult situation in 2015 by not building a title-ready car. But Gerhard Berger, a former Toro Rosso co-owner, does not agree with that. “I think the team itself and the car would still be in a position to win world championships,” he told the Austrian broadcaster ORF in Bahrain. “The only questions now are: can Renault bring itself out of this miserable situation? And if not, what are Red Bull’s alternatives to return to winning again?” added Berger.
