Marko: Red Bull has been "fooled around" - MotorSportsTalk

Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko claims that the team is still yet to formally agree an engine deal for the 2016 Formula 1 season after being “fooled around” by possible partners earlier in the year.

Red Bull expressed a desire to cut ties with current power unit supplier Renault earlier in the year, but looks set to agree a new deal that will see its relationship with the French manufacturer continue into 2016.

Earlier this week, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner claimed that an engine supply had been agreed for next year, but Marko’s most recent comments in an interview with the official F1 website suggest otherwise.

“I tell you: nothing is fixed at this very moment,” Marko said. “A car is nothing without an engine – that is the sad truth, otherwise we would be on the sunny side already!

“But a decision should be made this weekend – either Saturday night or Sunday. That makes still one more day to bargain.

“In this ‘game’, as you call it, we are passengers. We can’t influence what is going on at the moment. With our financial involvement in the sport that is a very dissatisfying situation.”

Marko said that Red Bull’s billionaire owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, had to be very patient because of promises broken by other engine suppliers, hinting at the breakdown in talks with Mercedes.

“He is so patient because we have been fooled around,” Marko said.

“We had deals and promises for engines which in the end didn’t come true.”

Red Bull is known to have thought it had agreed a deal with Mercedes, only for the German marque to reject it on competition grounds.

Ferrari offered Red Bull 2015-spec power units for 2016, and although this was turned down, Toro Rosso is understood to be in line to take these on.

Honda also discussed an engine deal with Red Bull, only for McLaren CEO Ron Dennis to veto any possible supply.

“It was fully supported by Honda that we didn’t have the capacity to engage another team, but someone had to stand up and say ‘this is not going to happen’,” Dennis is quoted as saying by Autosport in Abu Dhabi.

“This wasn’t me countering a desire of Honda, this was me taking responsibility for a decision, which goes with the job.”

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The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the Motor City for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix but with start times in a new location for 2023.

After a 30-year run on Belle Isle, the Detroit GP has moved a few miles south to the streets of downtown on a new nine-turn, 1.645-mile circuit that runs along the Detroit River.

It’s the first time single-seater open-cockpit cars have raced on the streets of Detroit since a CART event on a 2.5-mile downtown layout from 1989-91. Formula One also raced in Detroit from 1982-88.

The reimagined Detroit Grand Prix also will play host to nightly concerts and bring in venders from across the region. Roger Penske predicts the new downtown locale will be bigger for Detroit than when the city played host to the 2006 Super Bowl.

Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend (all times are ET):

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX INDYCAR START TIMES

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying.

POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after Sunday’s race ends.

COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 3:23 p.m. ET

GREEN FLAG: 3:30 p.m. ET

PRACTICE: Friday, 3 p.m. (Peacock Premium); Saturday, 9:05 a.m. (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 10 a.m. (Peacock Premium)

PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II l Combined

QUALIFYING: Saturday, 1:20 p.m. (Peacock Premium)

STARTING LINEUP: Alex Palou captured the first street course pole of his IndyCar career; click here for where everyone will begin Sunday’s race

RACE DISTANCE: The race is 100 laps (170 miles) on a nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street course in downtown Detroit.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for the first practice.

PUSH TO PASS: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation (Indy NXT: 150 seconds total, 15 seconds per). The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 80 degrees with a 0% chance of rain.

ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 27 drivers racing Sunday at Detroit

INDY NXT RACES: Saturday, 12:05 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 12:50 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium)

INDY NXT ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 19 drivers racing at Detroit