Red Bull "may be cutting its ties with Renault too soon," with reports Mercedes has "shut down talks" to supply it with F1 engines in '16, according to FOX SPORTS. Red Bull was reported to have "made a formal request to Renault to end their nine-season partnership at the end of this year." It has "repeatedly been speculated that the team had been on the hunt for a new engine supplier in the wake of two dismal seasons." The bulk of the paddock chatter has revolved around a "Red Bull-Mercedes tie up, a move that would have put the winningest engine of F1's new era at the disposal of the winningest team of F1's previous era." But it "appears that such a deal will not go ahead," with multiple outlets reporting that Daimler Chair Dieter Zetsche "has put a stop to the talks." Autosport wrote, "The thinking behind the move is Mercedes has waited 60 years to find itself in such a position back at the top of F1, and it has no intention of helping out a team with Red Bull's resources become a serious challenger to its success." It would appear that Red Bull's "only hope of obtaining a Mercedes engine deal" would be the intervention of F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, who could "use his clout as the sport's commercial chief to try and convince Mercedes that such a tie-up would be in the interests of both the sport and themselves." If Mercedes is "off the table," Red Bull has "few alternatives for a supply of engines" for '16. It could endeavor to extend its relationship with Renault until the end of '16. It could "also try to broker a deal with Ferrari or Honda, the only other current engine manufacturers on the F1 grid" (FOX SPORTS, 9/8).
