When Red Bull was notching up its successive world championships, the credit given to engine partner Renault was minimal, it appeared as though the Austrian outfit had achieved its tremendous success alone.

But when, under the new engine regulations, things didn't go quite so well, everything that went wrong was seemingly entirely down to the French engine manufacturer.

Aware that Mercedes, and to an extent Ferrari, had done a better job with the new Hybrid formula, Red Bull sought a new engine partner and threatened to leave the sport unless one could be found.

With Mercedes and Ferrari rejecting the Austrian team, which was still threatening to quit, the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone sought to find an alternative but to no avail.

Eventually Red Bull calmed down and stuck with Renault, albeit rebadging the French power units as those of a Swiss chronograph manufacturer.

While Renault's progress was slow it made progress nonetheless, yet still when things went right it was down to Red Bull and when they went wrong it was the fault of... you know who.

As Christian Horner laments his team's worst reliability in a decade, Toto Wolff has hit out at the Austrian team making clear why Mercedes doesn't see Red Bull as a good partner.

Having admitted that it was not impossible that Mercedes and McLaren might one day join forces again, he made it clear that a partnership with Red Bull is not on the cards.

"You must never rule out supplying anybody in the future and this is why McLaren or anyone else in the future could be a partner," he told ESPN.

Referring to Red Bull, he added: "It is exactly because they are saying it like this and undermining their current partner that they are not having one!

"In Formula One, like everywhere else in life - be it your private life or business life - it's about compromise and acknowledging your partner's strengths and weaknesses and helping each other out.

"That is very much the culture we have at Mercedes and that has made us successful in the last few years. Respect is a super important part of our values and this is why we have chosen the partners we have."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by ESTM PRFT, 01/01/2018 23:00

"Wolff needs to worry about his own team's affairs more, and stop sticking pins into Red Bull. Oh well, not much else to do in the off season (or is there?) Toto. I guess we're not in Kansas anymore..."

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2. Posted by Rhaycen, 30/12/2017 1:35

"@Canuck, you do realize Red Bull paid around 20-30 million USD for those engines right, they didn't get them for free. Red Bull is a customer team, not a manufacturer team.

The thank you is the size of the check they write, and the Infinity on the side of the car. The fact Renault gets to boast they are world champions ... if they are expected to praise all the manufacturers that had part in their world championships each podium ceremony would be like the Academy Awards.

"I'd like to thank Red Bull, Renault, Brembo and .... " etc.etc.

Red Bull wins and looses as Red Bull ... but when your engines are terrible you can hardly blame a fizzy drink company for that.

I'm not saying that Red Bull and specially Helmut Marko can't be a little bit more diplomatic about things. But Renault has no right to be upset when told that their engines are terrible, evidence shows us they are terrible. And Toto Wolff of the manufacturer Mercedes that was too cowardly to sell a set of engines to Red Bull specially has no place to be critical of Red Bull."

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3. Posted by Canuck, 29/12/2017 15:35

"@Rhaycen - and when the won 4 in row with Renault power, how much did they acknowledge the Renault contribution to their success? Red Bull wins as Red Bull and looses as Renault. There is no I in team, but Red bull is all I and no team."

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4. Posted by Rhaycen, 29/12/2017 8:55

"While I don't completely disagree with the sentiment that Red Bull should maybe be a little bit more respectful towards their engine supplier, I do find it somewhat silly that a manager at a manufacturer team that doesn't provide its customers with equal tools (as we saw in Baku) says that about the customer of another manufacturer.

I think pointing out to publicly that the engines you provide aren't good enough may be a little ugly, but it isn't as if Red Bull said anything that wasn't true. Year after Year, Renault kept saying they'd improve and catch up ... something that still haven't done."

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5. Posted by ryanhellyer, 28/12/2017 15:59

"Short version: Red Bull are dicks to engine suppliers, hence they can't find one."

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6. Posted by Anthony, 28/12/2017 14:37

"Couldn't agree more with Toto."

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Wolff critical of Red Bull's lack of respect for Renault

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