Renault engines finally at full power in Canada

The teams powered by Renault Sport F1 – Red Bull, Lotus, Toro Rosso, and Caterham – have experienced difficulties since the beginning of the season, but things have been gradually improving over several races, and this trend should continue this weekend in Montreal, as stated by Rémi Taffin, director of track activities at Renault Sport F1.

« At the beginning of the season, we stated that we would have made up for our delay and would be “back” starting from the Canadian Grand Prix. In the last four races, we have introduced several new developments and will achieve our goal in Montreal. For the first time this season, we will truly be able to compete with our rivals, » said Rémi Taffin in a statement released by RSF1.

Different parts of the 1.6L V6 turbo block from the diamond brand will be improved for the race scheduled at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and the various issues encountered in Monaco have also been analyzed to prevent their recurrence: « We will introduce new developments in Canada, primarily designed to enhance reliability. As in previous races, software updates are also planned to continuously improve the flexibility of the power unit and energy management. Furthermore, we carefully analyzed the issues encountered in Monaco and took measures to ensure they do not happen again. We specifically studied the failure on Vettel’s car and identified its origin: it stemmed from a mechanical issue at the level of the MGU-H. The part in question was re-examined, and we reinforced end-of-line checks to make the component more robust. With Toro Rosso, we analyzed in detail the exhaust problems the team experienced and looked at how we could prevent such problems from occurring in the future. We refined our diagnosis and improved our overall understanding of the exhaust system and its behavior within the car. »

Rémi Taffin believes that all the improvements made for the Canadian Grand Prix will be important for the teams given the characteristics of the Canadian track: « All these developments will prove very useful in Montreal, as the circuit presents the most demanding challenge for power units since the start of the season. Due to the long straights of the track, they run at full power for a large part of the lap. The internal combustion engine is thus subjected to very significant stress. As in Barcelona, I expect the cars to exceed 330 km/h. The two electric generators (MGU-K and MGU-H) will then help us in terms of top speed and acceleration. »

« The circuit has few corners; it will be tricky to recover energy through braking via the MGU-K, as drivers rarely ease off the pedal on a lap. Consequently, the focus will be on the MGU-H, which will harvest energy from the exhaust gases. In Canada, we will truly be flirting with the fuel consumption limit and will need as much energy as possible. That being said, we will ensure to find the right balance between electrical energy and traditional fuel to choose the best way to use fuel during the race, » adds Taffin.

With the stage set, the Canadian weekend will be an important indicator for the Viry-Châtillon manufacturer, but confidence is rather in order as explained by the track activities director at Renault Sport F1: « Even though we know that the competition is extremely tough, we are heading to Montreal with a positive mindset: we always give our best to triumph on the track. Of course, we must show realism and humility, but this Grand Prix will be an excellent indicator to see how well we have bounced back after challenging winter tests and the work that remains to be done. »

In addition to its V6 engine, Renault has also worked with its oil company to improve things at the fuel level provided to customer teams: « After successful tests in Barcelona and Monaco, Total will continue to develop new types of fuel in Montreal. »