Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has set a fast-approaching deadline for his two team’s engine troubles to be addressed, otherwise it will be the end of their Formula 1 involvement.
At present, both Red Bull and Toro Rosso are without a power unit supplier for the 2016 season after cancelling their contract with Renault a year early due to performance clauses.
Negotiations with Ferrari are ongoing but hit a hurdle when the Italian team offered up 2015-spec engines, rather than the soon-to-be upgraded 2016 power unit.
Whilst it’s believed Toro Rosso are happy to use the lesser engine, Mateschitz is demanding only the best for sister team Red Bull.
“We are striving to find engines, but we’ve got none,” the billionaire told Speedweek. “At least not the one we want.
“The prerequisite for moving forward is a competitive engine,” he added.
When asked if he had set a deadline for the problem to be resolved, he replied: “Sometime in late October”.
Team principal Christian Horner recently said his team could have done with an answer “two weeks ago” as they struggle to sign off the design of their chassis.
However he reckons the team is strong enough to overcome the delay as long as something is confirmed soon.
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