Marko: Red Bull future to be cleared on Sunday

Nov.29 - Red Bull's future in F1 could finally become clearer on Sunday, official Dr Helmut Marko says.

Although team boss Christian Horner has declared that Red Bull has an engine contract in its pocket for 2016, it is believed that will hinge on whether Renault decides even to stay in formula one beyond Sunday's 2015 finale.

In Abu Dhabi, the French carmaker is locked in negotiations with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone over whether Renault will receive Ferrari and Mercedes-style 'bonus' income payments if it returns to full works team status from 2016.

Several meetings have been held so far, and "no decision has been taken", Renault's F1 chief Cyril Abiteboul told Agence France-Presse.

He said that decision "is pending, but it doesn't depend only on the ongoing discussions with Bernie Ecclestone".

Another factor, he suggested, is the talks with F1's other engine manufacturers about the likely shape of the 'power unit' regulations in 2017 and beyond.

So Red Bull's Marko admits: "Nothing is fixed yet.

"Let's talk about that (Renault deal) when things are clarified. Probably tomorrow (Sunday) we'll know all answers," he told F1's official website.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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