Renault has ruled out continuing in its current position as an engine supplier, citing high costs and a low marketing return as the main reasons.
The French manufacturer has been considering four options for its future in Formula 1. They include pulling out, continuing as is, increasing their branding at either Red Bull or Toro Rosso or returning to a works team status.
During a meeting in Monaco between Renault F1 chief Cyril Abiteboul, Renault chairman Carlos Ghosn and Bernie Ecclestone, it seems they have ruled out remaining just an engine supplier past 2016.
Abiteboul, speaking to Motorsport, claims the return on investment simply isn’t good enough because costs are far higher than they expected when they demanded F1 switch from V8 engines to V6 power units.
“The one thing I can say is that in our opinion the engine supplier model does not work with the new engine regulations,” he said.
“The level of spend is so high that you don’t get enough benefit as a supplier to justify the spend – particularly to catch up with people who have placed the bar so high like Mercedes.
“But right now the boundaries are so far that we have to spend more. And to spend more there has to be more return including from a marketing perspective.”
Therefore just three options now remain. It’s believed pulling out entirely is the least favoured option, whilst increased branding or taking over a rival such as Toro Rosso or Force India are preferred, but ultimately expensive.
