PlanetF1

Renault: Red Bull are our No 1 priority

Monday 10-December-2012 07:06

Engine supplier Renault is open to teaming up with more teams on the grid as long as it doesn't impact their current support of Red Bull.

For the third consecutive year, the Renault-powered Red Bull won the double through Sebastian Vettel. The French manufacturer also supplies power units to Lotus, Williams and Caterham.

Renault though are willing to sign up more teams, but their CEO and chairman Carlos Ghosn warns that Red Bull will remain their number one priority.

"We will provide as many teams as is allowed by the rules - because there are some rules and we will follow the rules - but the technology is not limited to just some teams," he is quoted as saying on ESPNF1. "We are ready to offer our technology to more teams, but on the condition that we do not dilute the attention on the teams that are winning.

"For us preserving a very strong technical support for Red Bull is a priority. We want to make sure that we are always on the teams that wins and which can compete. At the same time we are ready to provide the technology for other teams."

The 2013 season will be the last one during which the 2.4-litre V8s engines will be used as from 2014 teams will be forced to switch to the 1.6-litre V6 turbos and Ghosn welcomed the change.

"In 2008 when we made a change of strategy and we said we would become an engine provider," he said.

"The condition was that Formula One would move towards more environmentally friendly technologies. We didn't say we need electric cars or we need this and that, we just said we will stay and continue to contribute as long as the technology is moving towards being more environmentally friendly. That's what's taking place."