We've said it before and we'll say it again, for a team that initially seemed intent on putting the fun in to F1, Red Bull gives you whinge.

Having spent most of last year threatening to walk away from the sport unless it got what it wanted, the Austrian team is at it again, effectively saying that if its demands aren't met it will quit.

Talking to Speedweek - the energy drink equivalent of Pravda - Dietrich Mateschitz echoed Bernie Ecclestone's and Max Mosley's claim that Mercedes and Ferrari control the sport.

"The tail is wagging the dog and Bernie is right," he said. "It wasn't him who put F1 into the gravel trap: it was the manufacturers who dictate what's going on."

With a Tag-Heuer (Renault) in the back of the RB12, nobody, least of all Mateschitz, is expecting miracles this season, especially as the French manufacturer is fielding its own team.

Furthermore, having already been turned down by both Mercedes and Ferrari, certainly in terms of same-spec engines as its works teams, things are not looking any better for 2017 and beyond.

"We are too good to be domestiques," he insisted, referring to the practice whereby race cyclists support their leader and teammates. "Formula 1 is not the Tour de France.

"If we are not competitive from an engine point of view, we will leave, he warned. "For sure we don't want to spend the next five years fighting for P5. We want to be P3 behind the manufacturers' teams. We should win the fight against the customer teams of Mercedes and Ferrari."

Looking ahead to this season, he admitted: "The new staff from Renault Sport are professional, passionate and determined. Our new car is one of the best we've ever made. Its performance is great. In short: It's another masterpiece from Adrian and his team."

And at a time, many are expecting Toro Rosso to have the upper hand, certainly in the opening stages of the season.

"The car is great," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if Toro Rosso were on the same level or even faster than Red Bull in the first races. Toro Rosso is supposed to achieve something between fourth and sixth in the constructors' championship. But this is what we have hoped for every year so far."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by NVexplorer, 19/03/2016 22:45

"Please tell Dietrich Mateschitz to take his toys and go home. What a boron!"

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2. Posted by Anthony, 15/03/2016 17:25

"Oh no .... is 2016 going to be another year when all RBR do is whinge about not winning rather than devoting their time and energy to improving (e.g. by working more constructively with their power unit supplier). They spend so much time being negative about F1 that I am sure that many long term fans can't wait for them to leave. Having followed F1 for many decades, I can't think of any other team that have have combined their arrogance (when winning) and negativity (when losing)."

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3. Posted by testa rossa, 14/03/2016 17:01

" Max Mosley could always find a solution to bend the rules in the right direction when something derailed.
Bernie is lost without Max."

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4. Posted by Darvi, 14/03/2016 13:33

"This is rather overlooking the point that it was Bernie's rather poor attempt at politics that put Ferrari and Mercedes in the position that they are now in. When he used Ferrari and Mercedes to dilute the FOCA initiative he was happy...... now his "divide and conquer" plan has blown up in his face and now he doesn't like it. It's time for someone with a longer term view to take over and build F1 into what it should be, i.e. the best motorsport action on the planet."

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5. Posted by Paul C, 14/03/2016 12:03

"Dietrich, RBR, shut up and race. Keep the whine in the hospitality suite."

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6. Posted by Hobgoblin, 14/03/2016 9:09

""Red Bull gives you whinge" - Love it! Thanks for cheering up my Monday morning."

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7. Posted by gturner38, 14/03/2016 3:05

"Just leave already. If Renault had come out with the dominant engine instead of Mercedes, not only Red Bull not be talking about leaving, they'd be fighting tooth and nail to keep everything about the series exactly as it is."

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8. Posted by Celtictiger, 14/03/2016 1:54

"Don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you, Red Bull."

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9. Posted by oldestmike, 14/03/2016 0:25

"As far as I'm concern Red Bull can leave anytime. I won't miss them. Maybe Bernie and all the folks directly involved might miss the Red Bull $$$, but, F1 could survive without them.
"

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10. Posted by f1fan, 14/03/2016 0:04

"They should leave instead of complaining and threatening to quit F1.
Holle vaten klinken het hardst (Dutch language)."

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11. Posted by F One, 13/03/2016 23:45

"They need to shut up or leave already.

Or could they don't be thrown out for bringing the sport into disrepute with all their pathetic whinging?"

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Red Bull may yet quit F1

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