Bernie Ecclestone does not think Red Bull will leave Formula One despite threats from team owner Dietrich Mateschitz at his home race this weekend.
Red Bull's form has been in free fall since the introduction of V6 turbo engines last year and its relationship with engine supplier Renault appears to be on a knife edge. Ahead of the weekend Mateschitz put out a warning not only to Renault but also to F1 that it will quit if it is not more competitive.
"What else has to happen that we will lose our motivation completely?" he told Speed Week. "There is no driver and no chassis which is able to compensate for this lack of horsepower."
He added: "You can't force someone to stay when he wants to leave."
But Ecclestone, who negotiated Red Bull's current contract to remain in F1 until 2020, does not see Mateschitz pulling the plug.
"I don't think so," the F1 boss said. "I know Mr Mateschitz very well and there would be more chance of him pulling out if he was winning than when he was losing. They're disappointed, aren't they? What they're saying is 'It's not our fault our performance is what it is'. That's what their complaint is.
"It doesn't mean it's because he's falling out of love, he wants a divorce. He just needs a new girlfriend, that's all."
Asked if he thought Mateschitz was putting pressure on Renault, Ecclestone added: "I think Renault understand. It really doesn't matter how much money you have got. 'If we were in the jungle or somewhere really bad and we had all the money in the world, it's no good a guy saying, 'We know need a doctor for our heart' and another guy says, 'I know a good dentist'. It doesn't help. They're looking for a competitive engine.
"Renault should know what they ought to do, really. The engine or power unit is such that it is so complicated that it's difficult for them. It's nothing to do with money, it's to do with the people."
But Ecclestone made clear he did not want to see Renault driven out of the sport.
"I think as much as Red Bull are happy they [Renault] be successful, so are we. They have been very, very good with us, Renault. They have supported us and done a first class job. At the moment they have just missed out a bit on this power unit."