23/09/2015
NEWS STORY
Whatever happens on Sunday afternoon, at least we should get some excitement on Friday when Honda's Yasuhisa Arai, Ferrari's Luigi Fraboni, Christian Horner, Paddy Lowe and Jonathan Neale attend the official press conference. All that's missing is a representative from Renault.
One topic that is almost certain to be on the agenda, at the press conference and in the various motorhomes - including Bernie's - is Red Bull's threat to walk away from F1.
Just in case anyone hasn't been listening, talking to the official F1 website, Helmut Marko has reiterated the threat, if Ferrari doesn't supply Red Bull and Toro Rosso with virtually the same spec engines as its works cars, the grid loses two teams after Abu Dhabi.
First off, explaining the situation with Renault, Marko said: "Renault couldn’t provide us with an engine that enabled us to run at the front. It’s that simple. It was last year, it was this year, and we couldn’t see that they would be up there with Mercedes or Ferrari next year.
"Never forget, we are customers," he adds," we pay for the product and nobody likes to spend money on an inferior product. So it was time to make a decision."
Asked why Mercedes was not prepared to step in and supply engines, Marko's response is brief and to the point: "You better ask Toto Wolff. He is the one to know."
To ensure, everyone gets the message loud and clear, he adds: "If we don’t have an engine that allows us to compete at the very front we will prefer to stop."
So what of Ferrari?
"It is not fixed yet," he admits, "but yes, we did have a conversation with Mr Marchionne in Monza."
Asked about the claims that Red Bull demands total parity with the works Ferrari engines, he replies: "If it were a few horsepower less we would not be concerned. But in the end you can check that very easily with the GPS data and other parameters to see what you really get. The truth is that the engine - the hardware - is not the real issue. That is the software and the same fuel."
Asked about Volkswagen, Marko neatly avoids the emission choked elephant in the room. "I don’t think that they have a ready engine concept in their drawers," he says. "Yes, the rumours are there - and, of course, it would be great if another engine manufacturer would join. But right now that is all crystal ball reading.
"I only can look at next year," he concludes. "If we don’t have a competitive engine there is no future in F1 for Red Bull Racing. The curtain may go down after Abu Dhabi. That is Mr Mateschitz’ opinion. He knows that it costs the same amount of money to race at the front or, like we are now doing, in the ‘premium midfield’ - and he is not willing to do that for another season."