F1: Red Bull backs Renault overhaul

Red Bull is confident that engine supplier Renault's recent restructuring will help bring it back to the front of Formula 1.

Following an outburst from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner after the Austrian Grand Prix when he slammed Renault's performance in F1 as "unacceptable," the French car manufacturer has made some big management changes. Former president Jean-Michel Jalinier has retired, and his responsibilities will be taken by ex-Caterham team chief Cyril Abiteboul and Jerome Stoll.

Asked whether Renault's changes were sufficient, Horner said Red Bull was encouraged.

"Jean-Michel Jalinier did as good a job as he could for Renault, but I think that he has decided to leave and we wish him the best of luck for the future," said Horner. "But now with the appointment of Cyril, I think it is a very positive thing and we will be working very closely with him to try to support him. It is in all of our interests to try to close that gap down to Mercedes."

Horner also thinks that a potential switch by Lotus from Renault to Mercedes will be a help to Red Bull. He reiterated his belief that Renault should drop its policy of treating all customers equally and prioritize a single team.

"They need to focus on one team in reality," said Horner. "I think the changes that have been made are very positive for Renault and for Red Bull."

Renault itself accepts that Red Bull could have been hurt by its equality policy, but is unsure whether it has hampered overall progress with its engine.

"You can say that it could be a fact, but the thing we don't know is what is the magnitude of this fact," said Renault's head of track operations Remi Taffin. "Obviously, when you try to deal with four teams you spend some more time with the other three, and that time you don't spend with Red Bull.

"So it is a fair comment, but Renault is not a team. Mercedes is. Ferrari is. So it was a different policy from Renault's perspective."