Why Red Bull's tactics have failed

Part of me feels sorry for Red Bull. After dominating Formula 1 for four years, it put its faith in Renault to deliver an engine that would enable it to continue fighting for wins and championships in the new 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged era. Unfortunately, the French manufacturer has failed.

The other part of me has little sympathy. It is insane that a company as successful as Red Bull has allowed a chain of events to unfold whereby less than six months before the start of next season it does not have an engine supplier and is facing the threat of extinction.

Renault is annoyed at the way it has been treated, although talks about a way forward between the two parties continue. Mercedes doesn't fancy stepping in, Ferrari has offered to help but only with a 2015-spec engine, while Honda has more pressing problems before it considers offering a supply.

Red Bull was on top of the world two years ago. Now it's scrapping for survival. How did it get to this?

Owner Dietrich Mateschitz does not do failure. Nearly 30 years after co-founding Red Bull, the Austrian is a billionaire, with his drinks company shifting several billion cans in more than 160 countries annually. So when he bought Jaguar Racing in 2004, having dipped Red Bull's toe into a host of other sports, mainly of the extreme variety, the goal was simple: win at all costs.

There was a solid gameplan, too. Money was no object; Mateschitz recruited big names like design chief Adrian Newey and kept investing in Red Bull's young driver programme, which yielded Sebastian Vettel - the man who earned him four drivers' titles to go with four constructors' trophies.

Horner, Newey and co delivered great success for Mateschitz © XPB

The strategy looked to be working. But the relationship with Renault was rocky from the off. Red Bull was already unhappy with Renault when it switched from Ferrari for 2007. The power of the French manufacturer's engine was well down on that of Ferrari and Mercedes ahead of a planned development freeze.

Red Bull and Renault lobbied hard for special dispensation - and they got it, with the FIA allowing Renault to make tweaks over the winter of 2008, while Ferrari and Mercedes could not, which equalised the performance gap between the manufacturers.

When a new set of regulations was introduced for 2009, Red Bull leapt from midfield mediocrity to frontrunners, winning its first races and even challenging for the title. This did not go down well with its rivals. That rise continued, but despite the success Red Bull and Renault enjoyed, the relationship remained fractious.

Renault felt unloved and underappreciated as Red Bull took the plaudits. Then, as Renault's performance declined as it struggled to cope with the new 1.6-litre V6 era, Red Bull grew more restless and outspoken about its dissatisfaction.

Rather than dealing with its problems behind closed doors, like McLaren and Honda are trying to do in their first turbulent year together, Red Bull has gone on the attack. Unsurprisingly, the relationship has deteriorated.

So where did it all go wrong? Oddly, despite its initial, long-term approach yielding success, Red Bull appears to have abandoned it altogether. It has chosen not to build closer ties with Renault, and right now the two parties couldn't be further apart.

Success seems to have gone to Red Bull's head, with the team overstating its importance on the grid and considering itself as prestigious and as deserving of a place in F1 as Ferrari.

It was confident it could find another engine supply, having moved to terminate its deal with Renault. It was offered this year's Ferrari engine by Scuderia president Sergio Marchionne - but Red Bull felt it deserved better for 2016.

Unlike McLaren, Red Bull has outwardly criticised its engine partner © LAT

There's no doubt Red Bull has been a good thing for F1. But is it on a par with Ferrari, the only team to have been committed to the championship from the start? Give over.

As a consequence of this perceived entitlement, Red Bull has persistently threatened to quit F1 when it doesn't get its way, an approach Ferrari took a few years ago when it wasn't happy with the direction the championship was taking. Only Red Bull's threat doesn't quite carry the same weight as that of the Prancing Horse.

Along with Ferrari, Red Bull quit the Formula One Teams Association and agreed a bilateral agreement with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone, which signed it up to Formula 1 until 2020. As a result, FOTA lost its bargaining power and folded.

Red Bull has also been less than supportive of certain measures aimed at slashing costs. This approach may work when things are going well - but less so when it all goes pear-shaped.

Now the boot is on the other foot and Red Bull is relying on others to help it out. Unsurprisingly, there isn't much appetite. One senior source told me the solution to F1's problems would be for Red Bull to up sticks and leave. Such a move would benefit the other teams financially as the prize pot would be split between fewer entrants, which in the case of the smaller teams would give them crucial long-term stability.

Red Bull quitting would undoubtedly be bad for F1. Honda, BMW and Toyota did a runner when the financial crisis hit, but Red Bull stuck around and continued to promote the championship.

F1 has benefitted from a team that has excelled, particularly in terms of chassis design, while Toro Rosso has allowed its drivers to develop and progress, with the focus on talent rather than the size of their wallets.

However, it seems Red Bull has struggled to deal with the fact that in F1 it is a competitor not the rulemaker, as is the case with other sports it's involved in, such as its own Air Race.

It also seemingly can't compute that success doesn't last forever. No team takes it well when it's knocked off the perch - but Red Bull seems to have taken it particularly badly.

That attitude is a result of its philosophy that it must win at all costs and anything else can only be considered a failure. Frustration has led to aggression and, combined with the sense of entitlement Red Bull has developed, it now finds itself in a precarious situation.

If it all does come crashing down, Red Bull has no one to blame but itself.