Renault launches its latest improvements of the year
With four races to go before the end of the season, Renault has decided to use almost all of its remaining tokens in the development of its engine. It remains to be seen whether Red Bull will use it.
If we still don’t know if and when Renault will finalize the purchase of Lotus or what the engine for the two Red Bull teams will be next season, Renault is not giving up for this season and is preparing for the future. The French engine manufacturer has chosen to use 11 of its 12 remaining tokens to propose an improved version of its power unit for the Austin weekend. The main improvements concern the internal combustion of the thermal engine to increase its power and efficiency.
If Renault still has as many development tokens at such a late stage of the season, it’s because the beginning of the season was dedicated to improving the engine’s reliability, which had failed on numerous occasions. This lack of reliability, combined with a clear power deficit compared to Mercedes and Ferrari engines, has precisely caused the significant tensions between the two parties, further intensified by the media statements of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.
But even if Renault offers these improvements, it is not certain that Red Bull will choose to use them. Indeed, since five engines have already been used by Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat since the beginning of the season, both drivers would then face new grid penalties. In these conditions, they might adopt the same strategy as McLaren, which is also changing the gearbox to accumulate as many penalties as possible in a single weekend, thus providing an opportunity to be competitive in the following races.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
