Cyril Abiteboul has urged Red Bull to think long and hard before jumping ship to Honda, claiming that the Austrian team will not win a title with Japanese manufacturer.

With the Austrian team continually delaying a decision on which engine it will use from 2019, crunch-time is fast approaching, with Helmut Marko claiming an announcement will be made by the end of the month at the team's home race.

However, despite Renault now having its own team, Abiteboul has warned Red Bull that its hopes of adding to its current tally of four titles lie with the French manufacturer and not Honda.

"I understand what they are looking to get," he told Sky Sports. "They are looking to the technical and commercial side, because it is clearly different remaining a customer and partner of Renault versus becoming a works team with Honda. It is very different and I appreciate that.

"But frankly, as far as I am concerned, they have a chance with us to become world champion again," he added. "I cannot say that for Honda.

"With what they have now, what is coming in the pipeline, and their car which is clearly a great car, maybe the greatest out there, they have the chance to be world champion again within the next two years," he claimed.

"It is a complex decision for them and for us," he admitted. "Maybe it is my emotional side... I have been working twelve years of pulling my hair with Christian and Helmut, and I don't want to lose any of that.

"But frankly, in the construction of the Renault team, I think it is still interesting to get their benchmarking capacity. We know where we need to work based on what they are doing. They have showed that a Renault engine can win races in straight conditions, so that is a good sign of what we are doing, where we are progressing and where we need to progress."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Thomas1, 09/06/2018 0:01

"Thanks for Mr. Cyril Abiteboul's analysis. A quick analysis from a Renault F1 fan will reveal the following scenarios:
From what a F1 fan can find at this moment, Red Bull is a possible F1-Champ and/or F1-Chassis winner even this year. Based on the current reality, they can focus on building the team for contention next year. They can give additional breathing space for Honda engine to grow and make money for Toro Rosso. The money they get from Honda, they can use it to pay for Renault engine supply. They have a good "Buy One, Get One Free" deal. Red Bull has all the pieces now in place for World Championship from this year onwards. Red Bull bosses can give a bonus to their team drivers NOW if they drive accident-free and make it 1-2 in the Canadian race this week.
Let us look at the downside scenario. The Red Bull drivers will be distracted from the change of engine news from this year on. It will be difficult to keep both the top drivers around next year. That may help Team Renault and McLaren fortunes! Red Bull will be competing at the bottom with Toro Rosso for point finishes! Cascading effects will set in the teams! Red Bull will be the next Williams team for a long time! Meanwhile, both Renault Team and McLaren will rise to the top for Glory with one or both of the Red Bull drivers as part of the Glory! In the Bull parlance, one may choose to say it is like "castrating" the Bull! Knowingly, no one wants to self-destruct in this world! That is the good News!"

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Renault boss urges Red Bull to think hard

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