Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn has, for the first time, officially admitted that his company will no longer solely be an engine supplier in Formula 1, narrowing its future options.
The French manufacturer currently supplies Red Bull and sister team Toro Rosso, with the former granted ‘priority’ status. However the relationship began to turn sour last season as it became apparent that Renault’s power unit was off the pace.
A spate of reliability troubles mixed with a performance deficit this season is a step too far for Red Bull, which has reportedly written to Renault, demanding its contract be annulled a year early ‘for performance reasons’.
The negative press has led Renault to reconsider its future in the sport, with three options open to it; continue as an engine supplier, return to constructor status or quit altogether.
With Ghosn admitting they won’t continue with the status quo, their options have now narrowed.
“We said very clearly, it’s finished,” the Mexican told Autosport during the Frankfurt Motor Show on Tuesday.
“We already alerted the Formula 1 authorities [saying] ‘Don’t count on us as a provider of an engine. It’s over’.
“We will honour our contracts, no problem, but the occasion of Renault as a developer and supplier of engines stops.”
Whether Renault will supply Red Bull in 2016 before calling it quits is unclear, with Ghosn saying that terms are being negotiated.
“I think we are today renegotiating the contracts, so it’s too early to say what’s going to be the conclusion of the contract,” he added.
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