Red Bull thought they had a Mercedes deal this summer...

One or two discussions Do not equate to a contract signed in ink
So they cancelled a solid contract without having a replacement in place ?
These RB people look more and more amateurish as time goes by

 

Who thought a deal with Mercedes was in the bag after the talks?

Horner ?

 

None of us were in the room to make any firm opinion what was agree'd to or not.....

 

Your kidding right ? You think multi Billion dollar organisations make agreements on conversation alone ?

 

I very clearly remember Mercedes PUBLICLY stating (multiple times) that they could and would not enter into any negotiations while there was a contract between RBR and Renault Racing...

If RBR thought that was implied consent, they are extremely naive.

 

"Could" not??? So, your existing engine deal precludes you from even beginning negotiations on a subsequent deal until the end of your contract? Contractual discontinuity? Seems odd to me.

 

Prove what happend. You have no idea what was spoken of LOL

 

Whatever was "decided" in that meeting, nothing came of it, so it wasn't an agreement.

Mercedes wanted RBR to obtain formal approval from Renault; that didn't happen. I think it was just a delaying tactic.

Arrivabene offered last year Ferrari engines in jest. That was taken seriously.

RBR "pissed off" Renault even more, couldn't come to term from Mercedes and got a final refusal from Ferrari.

So, the decision-making at Red Bull is based on hopes, suppositions, expectations but not much management skills, it seems.

 

RBR are IDIOTS

 

Well said

 

That's a pretty solid assessment of the situation with the information we have available.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Remember, Mercedes and Renault own a small stake in each other...Mercedes did not want to step on those toes. So, the "could" not was from a business stand-point. IOW, they were not legally prevented from negotiating with Red Bull...they just felt it was the right thing to do considering their relationship with Renault.

In the end, RBR will probably go slinking back to Renault. The question I have is: was the old contract nullified by RBR and Renault by mutual agreement? ...or are the terms still legally binding? If nullified, RBR just lost 'preferred team' status with Renault...which will matter if Renault does buy Lotus.

RBR is smelling really bad and Renault a bit like roses these days...I'd say that by doing nothing, Mercedes was a very fine corporate partner.

 

Lauda is now saying that Marko is regretting having been so outspoken about Renault, and fueling the divorce.
Well, Red Bull should have know that "a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush".

They had an engine, but they pursued silly dreams on impulse and now they are facing a technical disaster.

 

I am still surprised that the one running a multi billion dollar company (RB) could be that naive...I can not belive that Mateschitz left all the decisions to others without having a word in that!
The only explanation might be that both RB and RBR never had a time when thing went backwards so they might not be really trained in crisis management but still they should handle this a little bit more clever. I understand that neither Mercedes nore Ferrari wants them to have the newest engine, one just saw in Austin that they still have a good chassis and they might kick the works teams in their butt with their own engine. Both Mercedes and Ferrari built an engine on big expenses to promote their own cars and not to be shown up by RBR. For sure they will say that they do not fear the competition but they are not just race teams but also big companies and the team leaders have to justify in front of higher instances who might care less about sportmenship than success and sales. Mateschitz should have known that before allowing his team to mess up with Renault...

 

What they really need to do is poach some engine engineers and build their own.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

c'mon ferrari give them 2016-spec engines and let the drivers prove their worth. ric+kvyat will definitely make seb+kimi work for their paycheck.

My money would be on ric if that happened!!!

 

+1 competition wins not asset protection! Why are they all so afraid !! Ricci is exciting

 

Even with 2015 spec engines I think RBR will fight Ferrari tooth and nail for every position...if not beat them!

Their chassis is fantastic, as is their aero work. No doubt Ferrari's next car will be an improvement on this seasons', but I wonder if they can catch RBR in that area!

 

I think it also means that if Red Bull Racing do get Renault engines next year, then Renault basically has the company's boot at Red Bull Racing's throat. If they bad-mouth the engine again, I wonder if Renault could simply refuse any replacement engines or further engine support for the rest of 2016. By that time, the car would be designed for the Renault engine and other options (if there are any) might not fit in the package without seriously compromising the car's aerodynamics.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Perhaps a solution would be that Red Bull takes over/funds the Renault engine making facility, brand it as a RBR engine, and everything is their own fault from now on.

??