Christian Horner believes that Red Bull Racing's status as a customer engine partner will not limit its ambitions, providing it is supplied with a competitive power unit.
In light of the Milton Keynes outfit's trials and tribulations this year and last with engine partner Renault following the introduction of F1's new engine regulations in 2014, and the French manufacturer's inability to produce a reliable and performing unit, many question Red Bull's faculty to restore its former luster without the use of a works, tailor-made power unit.
"We won four world championships and 50 Grands Prix as a customer, so I don't see why not," said Horner. "I think it's just a different solution."
Red Bull Racing's team principal has publicly expressed this year on multiple occasions the fact that its engine partner was the weak link in the RB11-Renault package. The consequent strenuous relationship led to a split of the two companies and to Red Bull's search for a new engine partner.
"In order to achieve a championship or outright race-winning capability we need to have a significant step on the power unit," Horner underlined."Obviously we need to make progress on the chassis and we are working very hard to do that, but we really need to close that gap down to our competitors."
Following Mercedes' recent decision to not supply a team it rightly considers as a potential threat to its own works effort, Red Bull can reasonably envisage a collaboration with only Ferrari for 2016.
In spite of Horner's confidence, questions remain however regarding the specification level of a customer engine package eventually supplied to Red Bull by the Italian manufacturer, and whether a customer deal on a par with Ferrari's other clients would allow it to fulfill the raging bull's F1 ambitions.
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