Red Bull boss Mateschitz sees Renault as "below average engine"

Red Bull co-founder and owner of the Red Bull Racing team Dietrich Mateschitz believes that the Renault power unit, that his team currently use, is "below average". Red Bull announced earlier in the season that they would be switching to Honda in 2019 after a very long public falling out with Renault.

Speaking to Welt am Sonntag, Mateschitz said he felt his team had been competing with a poorer engine than their rivals for the past several seasons.

"In the last few years, we have been among the top three teams, but we were managing to do so with a below average engine.

"Both Ferrari and Mercedes were at risk of Red Bull being faster than their factory teams, so they would not give us an engine.

"The solution to our problem is a partner that has all the prerequisites for developing a top engine that fits perfectly with Red Bull and vice versa.

"The goal can only be a joint journey to the very top."

Red Bull announced their switch to Honda after the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, a race in which Honda introduced an update that impressed Red Bull massively.

The public war of words between Renault and Red Bull very nearly escalated to the point that Red Bull were left without an engine for 2017, but both parties will have an end to the partnership which brought four-straight drivers and constructor's championships from 2010 to 2013.