Red Bull Might Build Own Engines in F1

With all the fuss about changing engine suppliers in F1 – the International Automobile Federation allows only a limited number of teams to use an engine from a single supplier, except for British manufacturer Cosworth – Red Bull Racing may choose to build their own powerplant in the series.

Until recently, the Austrian team wanted to team up with Mercedes for a new powerplant, but several rumors suggested that Mercedes GP's team manager Ross Brawn opposed the idea from the get go. Fears were raised that, should Red Bull use Merc power in 2011, they will be practically unbeatable in the series, setting the stage for a new domination in F1.

For the time being, it's no secret to anyone that Mercedes and Ferrari have the most powerful engines in the championship, Renault – Red Bull's suppliers – coming in third place and having the sole advantage of a better fuel economy. Since their aerodynamic package is the one to beat at the moment, the Austrian team will be forced to continue their partnership with Renault, as neither Mercedes nor Ferrari want to “feed” their main rivals.

“We're staying with Renault,” confirmed recently the energy drink company's chief Dietrich Mateschitz in an interview with Kleine Zeitung newspaper. However, he did admit that an interesting prospect lies ahead for his team.

“But we are on stand-by for an interesting partnership. And even the idea of developing our own engine, I think, is no longer so absurd,” he added, hinting that F1 might switch to a cheaper and more road-relevant engine starting 2012, which would help Red Bull to become also engine builders in the Great Circus.