Red Bull’s relationship with engine supplier Renault has worsened since the Australian Grand Prix. After a disappointing season opener at Melbourne with one DNS and a sixth place, Helmut Marko threatened a surprise exit from F1 and said that the team owner Dietrich Mateschitz could lose interest in the sport. This was coupled with negative comments towards the engine supplier from Adrian Newey blaming Renault for their lack of pace.
Chief of Renault’s F1 engine program – Cyril Abiteboul – then spoke out against Newey branding him a liar and commented on Reb Bull’s problematic 2015 chassis. So you could say that Red Bull aren’t in the best position heading to Kuala Lumpur this year, but Sepang has always been a strong track for the team, having won three of the last five races. Sebastian Vettel produced a third place at last year’s race and of course, the ‘Multi 21’ incident is a notable moment in Red Bull/Malaysia history which made for an exciting finale to the 2013 Grand Prix.
2015 Malaysia Grand Prix Red Bull Preview
Daniel Ricciardo showed at round one that the RB11 is probably the fourth fastest car on the grid on the way to his somewhat disappointing sixth place, while Daniil Kvyat didn’t have a chance to prove his worth in a top team after breaking down on the way to the grid.
Could we see stronger results from Red Bull at a track that has been good to them in the past? Or will it be another disappointing weekend for the team in 2015? One of Sepang’s famous downpours would also throw a spanner in the works and make for some interesting results.
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