Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul is threatening to leave Red Bull with no choice but to switch to Honda engines in 2019 if a decision isn’t made imminently.
The Milton Keynes outfit has been trying to put off making a final call until their second home race in Austria at the end of the month after initially stating they will wait to compare the relative upgrades of their two options in Montreal.
Under the regulations, the decision should have come last month but it can be delayed if all parties agree, now though the French manufacturer is reaching their limit.
“I guess they have all the information that they need now. I don’t see why they are going to further delay the decision,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com on Sunday in Canada.
“As per the regulations, [the deadline] was May 15, and then we accepted to extend that a little bit on the back of 12 years of good collaboration, but past a certain point, the offer we made, and that they requested, will not stand. It was Montreal that they wanted to wait for: our new spec, Honda’s new spec.
“They have all the information, I see no absolutely no reason to delay that any further.”
The Renault chief also ruled out remaining at the negotiating table until the Red Bull Ring citing the sacrifices they are already having to make.
“I don’t think so. It’s simply because we need to source the components,” the Frenchman explained. “We’re already behind, and it’s Renault deciding the timing, not Red Bull.
“Usually we speak after a weekend, we don’t do that on Sunday evening, with all the emotions, we let all the testosterone go down a little bit, and we will discuss.
“But we will not be able to wait for the sort of timing that they’ve mentioned this weekend.”
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Abiteboul wouldn’t commit to exactly when Renault wants a decision only stating that Red Bull “know”, but…
“[In] Austria, we won’t be here, and they will be talking directly to Honda,” he insisted.
