Trouble may be brewing between the Infiniti Red Bull racing team and its engine supplier, Renault. Reports are, Red Bull might send Renault a bill at the end of the season over financial damage from lost performance. We all know that the race team we’ve seen this year, and the race team we’ve seen for the past four season, don’t seem to be the same. Four time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, has failed to finish two races this season. His teammate, Daniel Ricciardo has scored one win and two other podium finishes for the team, but was disqualified in Australia and failed to finish in Malaysia. Many teams have struggled with the new 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine that was mandated for this season. With the exception of those carrying Mercedes power units, of course.
Another speculation is that Red Bull is talking to Volkswagen about supplying the team with their engines for next year. Volkswagen is already in other racing series, so branching out to F1 might be a good idea for both Red Bull and Volkswagen. One thing we do know is that Infiniti Red Bull Racing is going to go over their data from the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix and previous races this season in order to figure out a plan for next season. Something needs to be fixed in order for them to get back to where they were last year and the years before, whether it’s on Red Bull’s end or Renault’s. The team has two very talented drivers in the cockpit of their cars, but a million things have to go right in order for there to be success amongst a team. Something just isn’t there.
When asked about the financial woes and the rumors about Volkswagen, team advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, said it all was simply “nonesense”. But is it? Sure, Red Bull won their first race of the season two weeks ago in Canada, but the team has had a lackluster season in 2014, compared to what we’ve seen from them the past four years. While sending a bill to Renault might be a tad extreme when you look at the two’s success with one another over the past four years. However, talking to another manufacturer about supplying engines for next season, is not.
Maybe Daniel Ricciardo’s win and Sebastian Vettel’s third place in Canada are a change in the tide for Red Bull and Renault. After all it was the best result they’ve had all season. The team is in second place in the Constructor’s Championship, 119 points behind Mercedes AMG. There are twelve races left this season, meaning if both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton somehow manage not finish the next handful of races, Infiniti Red Bull Racing has a big chance to streak away with the Constructor’s Championship at the end of the year. Sure, that’s a lot to ask for, but after watching the Canadian Grand Prix, we all learned that absolutely anything can happen.
The next round in the 2014 Formula One World Championship takes place June 20-22, in Spielberg, Austria.
-Dallas Hollins
Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @InsidePitRow
Picture credit: Motorsport.com
No comments:
Post a Comment