Renault have been looking for a new oil partner "for some time"

News that British oil giant BP was looking to make a return to Formula One after more than two decades was met with some confusion this week, with both potential targets - Renault and McLaren - already tied to oil companies through long-term partnerships.

However, respected F1 journalist Joe Saward has revealed that Renault's partnership with Total has been deteriorating for a while.

"It has been clear that Renault was looking for a new partner oil company for some time," he wrote on his blog. Renault has been traditionally backed by the French firm, and subsidiary Elf during its time in F1.

However, since the death of former Total chief Christophe de Margerie in 2014, the company has shifted their sponsorship to Renault's corporate rival PSA, and their motorsport programmes with Peugeot and Citroen.

With Total distancing themselves from Renault and BP allegedly looking to return to F1, it makes a deal between the two parties seem more and more likely.

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