Rupert Stadler told Auto Express: “In life, you keep things open. We are already stuffed with motor sport projects but with F1, let’s wait and see. It is an option for Audi – not at this moment, perhaps, but it is still an option.”
It was hardly a declaration that they are on the verge of buying Red Bull but it was a gesture of encouragement towards the ailing team.
Helmut Marko, Mateschitz’s chief advisor on motorsport, reiterated at the weekend that without Audi or a remarkable resurgence by Renault, Red Bull would leave. “If we don’t have a competitive engine in the near future, then either Audi is coming or we are out,” Marko told the BBC.
Mercedes or Ferrari will not supply Red Bull with an engine, and when McLaren’s exclusivity Honda expires, they may not want one from the Japanese manufacturer anyway, given their current struggles.
The best piece of news for Red Bull in recent days other than Audi’s message is that it is understood police have arrested the alleged thieves behind a break-in at their factory in January. More than 60 trophies were stolen in a terrifying raid.