But Hill also told Sky Sports that Mercedes’ preference for a deal with Manor over Red Bull has left the sport’s former powerhouse with a frustrating predicament.
“This leaves Red Bull with a very interesting problem,” Hill said.
“Here they are, one of the top teams, who were denied a contemporary engine and were told they were going to have to make do with year-old engines [by Ferrari], which clearly wasn’t acceptable for them.
“What has been a boon for Manor Marussia clearly highlights the difficulty of the situation at Red Bull. “
“Red Bull were probably a bit too competitive for their own good. So you can understand the reasons why Mercedes would not want to give an engine to them. But they’ve also typically been pretty harsh on their engine suppliers, who have been Renault, so they have a reputation as tough customers.
“They are now left in a position where there are no engines currently available for them.”
RICCIARDO LOOKING UP
WITH no certainty that his team will even be in F1 next year, Daniel Ricciardo could be forgiven for taking a rather pessimistic view of the world right now.
But that’s just not his way and with engine upgrades expected after this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, the Aussie says he hopes for an improved showing on track before the year is out.
“Hopefully we’ll get a bit more out of it and challenge for another podium before the year’s out,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports.
“We’ll take what we can get, but it’s not going to be a 40 horsepower upgrade.
“It’s better than what we’ve got now but I wouldn’t get too crazy about it. I’ll take it, but it’s not going to be half a second.”