Ferrari’s chairman Sergio Marchionne is “frightened” he might upset his own team should he agree to supply Red Bull with engines in 2016, according to Bernie Ecclestone.
Red Bull are seeking a new supplier after ending their current deal with Renault. The Milton Keynes team had initially turned to Mercedes, but the Daimler board rejected the idea, believing it could damage their own team.
That could also put Ferrari off according to Ecclestone, who himself is trying to convice Ferrari to go ahead with a deal rather than risk losing two teams.
“For Formula 1, he [Marchionne] would love to do it, to get Red Bull competitive with an engine, but he doesn’t want to damage the team he runs,” Ecclestone told Autosport.
“If Red Bull get [a Ferrari] engine then they are obviously going to be competitive, it’s an obvious concern, but he’s frightened he’s going to upset his team.”
Red Bull’s recent performance at the Singapore Grand Prix, where Daniel Ricciardo finished just seconds behind Sebastian Vettel, could further put Ferrari off.
“It didn’t help too much with the performance of Red Bull in Singapore,” added Ecclestone.
“So Ferrari are concerned about Red Bull having the same power as them.”
