Renault confirms days as engine supplier in F1 are 'over'

Carlos Ghosn has confirmed that Renault will cease to be merely an engine supplier in F1 beyond the end of 2015. "We have said very clearly: it's over," the German news agency DPA quoted him as saying at the Frankfurt motor show.

Currently the supplier to Red Bull and Toro Rosso, who are reportedly set to switch instead to Ferrari power next year, Ghosn confirmed that talks with Lotus about buying the Enstone team are taking place. But he also admitted that quitting F1 altogether is a possibility. "We are not in a hurry, we are taking our time," said Ghosn.

He said the biggest problem with the Red Bull arrangements was that when the team was struggling, it openly blamed Renault. And "When we won championships, unfortunately the name Renault was never mentioned," said Ghosn. "We gained the impression that the investment paid off only very weakly."

Cash-starved Lotus, set to face another petition to have it placed in administration on Friday, is now nervously waiting for Renault's decision. "I fear for the future of the smaller teams if it doesn't get resolved," Force India deputy Bob Fernley, referring to the Lotus situation, told the October edition of F1 Racing magazine. "I'm not sure that either CVC or the manufacturer teams are even listening -- or care. And that's my biggest concern," he added. (GMM)