Renault woes costs Red Bull millions - Marko

LONDON, England - Red Bull's slide down the Constructors' championship table is hurting the team in its hip pocket.

That is the claim of Helmut Marko, the Red Bull official who on Wednesday (June 17) fired rumours of a sensational switch from Renault to 'customer' Ferrari power for 2016.

Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz played down that possibility but Marko said going from champion team from 2010-2013 to second in 2014 and further down in 2015 was hurting the team financially.

RED BULL IN CRISIS

Mateschitz said: "Second to fourth place hurts us. It will cost us some R277-million. With luck, it will stay that way, because Lotus and Force India also have that Mercedes engine."

That is undoubtedly why Marko suggested that a 'B' Ferrari V6 is better than the works Renault, even if it would mean the reversion to mere customer status.

"The fact is that we cannot go two more years with this (Renault) engine."

Mateschitz is threatening to pull out of F1 altogether, but also Renault is unhappy with Red Bull's constant carping and is reportedly considering buying Lotus.

Bild said a 'crisis meeting' between Red Bull and Renault is scheduled for June 25.

Marko said: "We will get the results from Renault's latest tests and explain how they see the future. And then we will decide how we deal with it."

He is not necessarily expecting the meeting to go smoothly.

Marko admitted: "Our relationship with Renault is, to say the least, very tense."

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