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LONDON, England - Red Bull has issued troubled engine supplier Renault with an ultimatum - improve or be dumped.
Although Red Bull has emerged from the depths of a winter crisis, Helmut Marko insisted Renault has a long way to go if it wants to supply engines to team's Adrian Newey-penned cars.
Marko has claimed the credit for much of Renault's improvement since testing, revealing he installed a crisis team comprising Red Bull and Toro Rosso engineers at the French marque's Viry headquarters.
POWER WOES
Marko said: "If there is no noticeable improvement in two or three months, we will definitely be talking about an alternative."
Until then, he said Red Bull is working on compensating for a 60kW deficit through mechanical changes: "We cannot put additional horse power in the engine ourselves but we can hope for trouble between Rosberg and Hamilton and drive past them."
Marko is referring to the internal battle between Mercedes' 2014 driver duoNico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, who so far in 2014 have traded easy race wins.
Mercedes' Toto Wolff admits he is aware of the potential for problems.
Wolff said: "We are spending quite some time discussing those things, discussing scenarios and discussing situations. It's Mercedes and it's the team that comes first, but one day it (the situation) will be rubbish.”
"What makes a difference is that these guys have known each other for such a long time and they have a fair relationship with each other.
“But it doesn't mean that they are not extremely competitive and that they will try to use every advantage they can."
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2014 Bahrain GP
Although Red Bull has emerged from the depths of a winter crisis, Helmut Marko insisted Renault has a long way to go if it wants to supply engines to team's Adrian Newey-penned cars.
Marko has claimed the credit for much of Renault's improvement since testing, revealing he installed a crisis team comprising Red Bull and Toro Rosso engineers at the French marque's Viry headquarters.
POWER WOES
Marko said: "If there is no noticeable improvement in two or three months, we will definitely be talking about an alternative."
Until then, he said Red Bull is working on compensating for a 60kW deficit through mechanical changes: "We cannot put additional horse power in the engine ourselves but we can hope for trouble between Rosberg and Hamilton and drive past them."
Marko is referring to the internal battle between Mercedes' 2014 driver duoNico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, who so far in 2014 have traded easy race wins.
Mercedes' Toto Wolff admits he is aware of the potential for problems.
Wolff said: "We are spending quite some time discussing those things, discussing scenarios and discussing situations. It's Mercedes and it's the team that comes first, but one day it (the situation) will be rubbish.”
"What makes a difference is that these guys have known each other for such a long time and they have a fair relationship with each other.
“But it doesn't mean that they are not extremely competitive and that they will try to use every advantage they can."
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2014 Bahrain GP