Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has warned that unless his team is competitive he will withdraw from F1.

Speaking to the Austrian Press Agency, Mateschitz, almost word for word, echoed comments made by his motorsport consultant, Helmut Marko, following the team's dismal performance in Australia.

At the time, Marko told the Austrian media: "We will evaluate the situation again in the summer as every year and look into costs and revenues. If we are totally dissatisfied we could contemplate an F1 exit. "The danger is there that Mr Mateschitz loses his passion for F1."

Clearly seeking not to appear as though the 'threat' was the work of a sore loser (as if!), the Austrian added. "These power units are the wrong solution for Formula One, and we would say this even if Renault were in the lead. The technical rules are not understandable, they are much too complicated, and too expensive.

"We are governed by an engineers' formula," he added. "We wanted cost reduction too, but it is not happening like this. A designer like Adrian Newey is castrated by this engine formula. These rules will kill the sport."

Now, Mateschitz has admitted that Marko's was no idle threat.

"We'll only stay in Formula One if we have a competitive team, and we need a competitive power unit for that," he said. "If we don't have one, we can race with the best car and the best drivers and still have no chance of competing for victory.

"Of course Renault can also weigh its options, including a pull out," he added. "As a manufacturer, it's your task to deliver a competitive power unit. If you can do that, it's great. If, for whatever reason, you can't do that, you should pull out. Then the consequences for us would be clear, too."

Again, reiterating comments made by Marko, this time relating to the possibility of Red Bull building its own engines, he said: "We are not a car manufacturer who could justify the investment. So we rely on Renault to close the gap to Ferrari and, above all, Mercedes."

And some believe this company could - indeed, should - buy F1?

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Paul C, 19/04/2015 3:26

"Whine, whine, whine. Herr M. needs to work more and whine less. And help Renault develop your engines."

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2. Posted by Ricky, 10/04/2015 21:31

"The tracks are there, the cars are there, the fans are there and the infrastructure is there - why does everyone keep doing business through Bernie?
"

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3. Posted by The Canadian, 10/04/2015 17:34

"To Mateschitz: Please follow through with your threat and quit, ya ******.

To Renault: Please buy the Redbull Assets. And Put Jeremy Clarkson in charge.
Thank you"

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4. Posted by sumpnz, 10/04/2015 17:12

"Toys, pram, some disassembly required.

I notice that McLaren, which is actually populated through to the top by racers, and is having a considerably worse season than Red Bull along with a worse season last year, is not whining and casting blame. At least not publically.

They need to just put their heads down and get on with it. Complaining won't make them any more competitive."

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5. Posted by Jonno, 10/04/2015 12:58

"Red Bull continues to have brake problems in today's practice. Should RB start having a go at the brake manufacturers, as they have Renault, I can see them using wooden blocks to slow down at the next race."

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6. Posted by scf1fan, 10/04/2015 11:14

"@Will Fly (and any of the other engine/PU Luddites. :-) Although I sympathize with anyone that believes that going back to an "internal combustion engine" only formula will make it cheaper to run F1 (it will) but I have to take issue with the thought because it's not the current high point of automotive technology!! Hybrids are!

So is F1 supposed to be the sharp end of automotive technology or not? Want to make it cheaper? Fine, go back to 2 valves/cylinder and single cam (per bank) engines. Want to limit engine RPM? Fine, go back to metal valve springs. Also consider eliminating telemetry, and multi-plane wings, etc., etc., Then F1 will be cheap, perhaps as cheap as formula Ford!! (I've driven a FF, but to be honest, I've never gone anywhere to see (or watched on TV) a FF race . . . )

If I had to pick two specific things to change which might give the biggest improvement, I'd say to up or remove the maximum fuel flow limit of 100 L/hr, and then increase or eliminate the restrictions on the number of engines used per season . . . (Neither of which will drop the cost, but they would improve the racing by eliminating the need for "season long" strategic management of PUs!) The current crop of engines/PUs are being limited in RPM by the maximum fuel flow rate. Up or eliminate that and the average max engine RPM will go from the current average max of around 15k to the "limited" 18k . . . and giving roughly 150 more hp to boot! (Although that might mean that fewer cars can run within the 107% of MB . . . It also would mean that a few more engines will go Ka-blam-O! . . . therefore needing more engines!!) It might "sound better" too for those who care, though I thought the primary objective of the F1 game was to "beat the clock" not "name that tune?" :-) "

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7. Posted by Canuck, 10/04/2015 11:03

"Red Bull is just one of the teams that is in it for promotion of their products. If you can't have your cars do the talking on the track then it is replaced but loud mouths taking in the press. Same results to them they get the promotion of their products. The only difference is it pisses off the fans"

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8. Posted by Spindoctor, 10/04/2015 10:46

"F1 could easily do without RBR, though CVC might not!

A major problem for Formula One has been the conflation of the "Sport" with the commerce.
Bernie (bless his little silken socks) has managed to convince the Formula One "community" that F1 is a "failure" unless it generates $billions of income for B.Ecclestone and associates. We old gits who've been following F1 for 50 or more years know that this simply isn't true.

Frank Williams, Ferrari, Ron Dennis, probably Mercedes and others known & unknown would continue to compete in a series that was less flash, but more fun. Maybe the cars would look prettier, perhaps they'd be a bit slower. The BBC and many other broadcasters world-wide would happily televise the races if Sky\PPV didn't want to. Perhaps Schwarzenegger wouldn't want to be present. I wouldn't cry.

Driver\Spectator safety, Engine "capacity", some kind of total "surface area" to control aero, total fuel-load and minimum weight rules, and that aside Formula Libre would be a good starting point"

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9. Posted by Cobra Driver, 10/04/2015 10:20

"Over-engineering appears to be having a negative effect on the sport in general. Examine that IRL debacle in St Petersburg Florida several weeks ago. Aerodynamic improvements? Please! As if those glorified "Formula Ford drivers needed another excuse for car destruction. As for Formula 1, race cars powered by Singer Sewing Machine engines don't get my blood flowing."

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10. Posted by Shouting at Clouds, 10/04/2015 8:20

"If you are going to start whinging that you are not competitive after two races, take your money, your horrible drinks and your mate Marko and eff-off. A real team would work like buggery to catch up not start whinging after two races. And don't think F1 can't survive without you either. The grids might be a bit leaner for a while but the sport will be ultimately stronger for getting rid of carpet baggers like you. P-off.
"

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11. Posted by ape, 10/04/2015 8:00

"was f1 finally freed of that cry baby Montezemolo , who was crying year after year that f1 was too much based on aerodynamics .
Now we a new spoilt brat crying about the rules , Both clowns had won 4/5 titles in a row the years before.
Pathetic losers.
No wonder Frank has so many admirers"

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12. Posted by Will Fly, 10/04/2015 6:46

"Ignoring DM's comments about the rules being too complex and the engines too complicated and costly there are a number of fundamental points being made here.

1. Cars are way too dependant on front aero, your front wing gets damaged and its game over. Simplify front wing down to one element which is adjustable , limit the width but not the depth to keep reasonable area.

2. Get rid of DRS, go back to wider tyres to give good mechanical grip

3. Remove fuel limits and all monitoring equipment (and backroom enforcement), give teams unlimited fuel, but no refuelling, they have to carry the extra fuel they want to burn, which means slower lap times so becomes self regulating.

4. Go back to a 3.5l normally aspirated V8 but limit revs to 15k.

The way current F1 is going we're going to see all the old F1 cars being dragged out of museums and a resurgence in Historic F1 racing."

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13. Posted by scf1fan, 10/04/2015 5:14

"@Dajobo - yes, we could really do without Red Bull. It's obvious now that they (RB (the sponsor), not the people in the team) are only here for the advertising, and they get better return on their advertising investment when their team is winning, or at least competing for the win. We have had way too many of those over the years. In one way, RB (the team) was lucky in that their sponsor had uber deep pockets (@ $4/8oz drink!) to poach a lot of talent - so they were able to become successful very quickly. But as we've seen time and time again, success in F1 does not last forever. (Nor do we want it too!!) If RB (the sponsor) can't handle a little adversity, then they need to go back to their X-games which requires little skill on their part - all glitz, no risk.

Unfortunately, this is a symptom of the current F1. Jag couldn't win and went home. Toyota couldn't win, and went home. BMW could win, but didn't see the payback, and went home. Honda was winning everything, didn't see the payback/lost the desire, and went home. TAG-Porsche was winning everything and didn't find it challenging any more. So the true "Sportsmen" remain - McLaren, Ferrari, Williams. MB I think will be around as long as they are near the front and find it of technical benefit. Honda . . . we'll have to see how long they will be here this time. (I think the lack of ability to develop their "product" because of these tokens might mean that they will be leaving sooner rather than later.)

I believe that F1 will have to go through a massive downsizing in the future. This will be unfortunate, but perhaps it will re-establish a bit more balance between the costs and the benefits . . . and bring more "sport" back into the sport."

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14. Posted by Dajobo, 10/04/2015 1:03

"To the people saying we don't need Red Bull, do we really want even less cars on the grid? I know the comments and tantrums from Red Bull come across really badly and they do sound like sore losers just now but the reality is the rules are terrible.

How anyone can think rules that actively prevent struggling teams from catching up will help the sport is beyond me.

If they want to keep this crazy 'token' system, make it work to keep racing tight by awarding tokens based on where you finish each race. First place get none and the further back the more they get. At least a team off the pace then have a way to get back on par without us waiting a year to see the change."

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15. Posted by scf1fan, 10/04/2015 1:02

"Mr. Mateschitz and Mr. Marko, please be so kind as to take your over priced "energy" drink advertisement and leave our sport. I'll be so happy to hold the door open for you!!

I'm also amazed by this constant crying about the cost of the engines/PUs. Give me X amount of fuel, and Y amount of displacement and a hybrid PU will beat a internal combustion engine every time on a road type course. Sure they are more expensive, but price for price, tell me it's money less well spent than the cost of developing all the "aero" devices hanging off the cars? How often are the cars made "uncompetitive" when some stray "touch" breaks a couple of bits off a car? Let the engine/PU companies continue to develop their equipment throughout the season just as the chassis makers should be free to develop their cars. Let the rules allow for different engine/PU configurations and see who crosses the line first . . . that's the F1 I grew up on."

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Mateschitz reiterates Red Bull quit threat

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