Red Bull’s lack of an engine could soon be resolved with reports suggesting they are pushing ahead with a return to Renault, albeit under entirely different circumstances than previously.
The Milton Keynes team is hoping to convince Renault to supply it with unbranded power units, which it would then develop in-house, independently of the French manufacturer.
The deal, which is not yet thought to have Renault’s full backing, would effectively see Red Bull become an engine manufacturer in a watered down sense.
Mario Illien, founder of Ilmor engineering, would oversee development and is currently based in ‘Building 9’ at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes HQ after he was consulted to help Renault develop their hybrid-turbo V6 power unit earlier this year.
He focused on improving the engine block, internal combustion engine (ICE) and the energy recovery system (ERS), but it’s believed Renault chose to go with its own development path, shunning Illien’s work.
If the deal receives the backing of Renault, which would require CEO Carlos Ghosn to sign it off – and it’s expected Red Bull would pay a hefty supply fee much larger than at present – then the energy drinks team could choose to rebrand the engines as Infiniti or otherwise.
Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz recently extended their deadline to have a solution in place from October to late-November, a sign that discussions are ongoing.
Whether Renault, which is set to complete its takeover of Lotus in the coming weeks, will be persuaded to agree to the deal, isn’t entirely clear as they will need to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of such a set up.
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