By John Sharpe
March 10 2005

The decision to use Honda power rather than continue to develop the already powerful Cosworth engine that Red Bull Racing now enjoys in my opinion is far from a sure deal. Many factors still need to be hammered out and questions still haven’t been answered regarding BMW and their proposed customer engine program. Just recently, BMW and Sauber were supposedly close to a deal that would see Sauber running their cars behind German BMW power. To the surprise of many, RBR was also lurking quietly behind the shadows. Some close to the talks believe that Red Bull might be the better option and that is why the talks broke down between Sauber and BMW. As the two sides however continued with their discussions, rumblings of a BMW purchase of Sauber were circulating. BMW does have a stake in Williams but they are keen to enter Formula One with their own BMW branded team. In any event, a Sauber deal with BMW would only serve to motivate Williams, as they would not be willing to relinquish their valuable BMW engines.

Honda as well has a vested interest in BAR and it is no secret that they also have been longing to join F1. Honda F1 Project Leader, Takeo Kiuchi has already expressed that he would personally prefer to concentrate their efforts into supporting their BAR relationship.
Customer programs in my mind rarely benefit the smaller teams. It may allow them to continue to go racing on Sunday but the competitiveness of these engines would not be in the same category as the works team. The team with the better package or more money to throw at the supplier gets the required attention.

The most important issue Christian Horner has on his plate is securing an engine deal for RBR. A cheap price tag rather than a cheap engine is first and for most here.
Currently we have a very strong engine but with a not so helpful check out price. What benefits RBR is that the overall package is now coming together and this could prove crucial to Red Bull when they meet with Cosworth at the negotiating table. The engine is light, strong and reliable. It has surpassed Cosworth engineer’s expectations on the Dyno doing 18000km, 2000km more than their initial 16000km target. This more than proves the engine will survive two race weekends. Cosworth will be looking to keep their engines in a chassis that has scored points and is in the position to secure podiums the way RBR is now. It would be in Red Bull Racing’s best interest to not only hold onto the Cosworth engines, but to work and develop both of their programs together.

The one hitch though might be in the area of the company’s new owners, Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, US Champ Car owners. Though they have stated that they respect the F1 heritage that Cosworth has enjoyed over the years and plan to keep the program alive, the continued volatility of the US series coupled with the expense of running a competitive F1 engine program could see that price tag stay the same or climb subtly.
Cosworth has been going through restructuring with the Company now called Cosworth Racing. Additionally, Cosworth Racing’s boss Tim Routsis has been given the Job of heading Pi Research as well as looking after the engine business. If they can manage to make all the necessary adjustments for a smooth transition, Cosworth shouldn’t miss a beat.

Red Bull’s excellent performance in Melbourne leads many F1 insiders to believe that the RB1 is a very good package. A relationship between RBR and Cosworth will prove beneficial should the two remain partners.

Honda has been a proven winner in the past and is doing well with BAR but they have a habit of dictating just who sits in front of their engines. I have never been a fan of this practice and over the years, I have squirmed as Frank Williams, Eddie Jordan and now BAR succumb to their engine suppliers’ requests. I don’t think this would be a big Issue with RBR because Mateschitz is not one to just roll over. Red Bull is the most successfully marketed company in the world and done his way.

Currently there is no deal in place or signed and I am sure that there are many proposals hitting the desk of Christian Horner now that the reality of the team was shown last Sunday. Who wouldn’t want to jump on the Red Bull wagon? From sponsors to engine suppliers, Red Bull is sitting pink right about now and Cosworth would be a great marriage between the two of them. Only Minardi is using their engines and they pose no threat to Red Bull. David Coulthard is an experienced driver who is back from hibernation with Mclaren and ready to roll again. The team’s new technical group is a talented one and they seem to have solved the many issues surrounding the old Jaguar cars. They also have the biggest name in F1 next to Marlboro, RED BULL, blanketing their engine covers.

Horner does want to do the right thing by taking that extra ten million and using it towards development. However, I feel it would be a very bad mistake to abandon the Cosworth engine program. Success this year gives Horner more bargaining power especially when you consider the other team using Cosworth engines is again Minardi. I am not bashing Minardi by any means. I respect Paul Stoddart immensely. The fact is, between the two, Red Bull Racing is the stronger team and will highlight the new horsepower achieved by Cosworth.

Whatever direction Christian and Red Bull decide to take, ultimately they will have to address and evaluate the performance of the current engine against that of the new. I truly believe that RBR need to stay with Cosworth and solidify a relationship like the one Mercedes and Mclaren enjoy. You cannot expect to make a huge statement based on a new engine supplier. Cosworth has worked hard to make this engine competitive and they have come along way. It only gets better for Red Bull Racing because they are the only ones to benefit from this.

John Sharpe
www.racingbulls.co.uk
John.Sharpe@twcable.com