01/07/2014
NEWS STORY
Christian Horner claims he first expressed concern at Renault's turbo project back in 2012.
The French manufacturer, which ironically first introduced turbo technology to F1 in the 1970s, has had a torrid season thus far under the new rules, with no tangible sign of improvement.
With Lotus - which in a previous incarnation was the Renault F1 Team - said to be looking at agreeing a deal with Mercedes, Red Bull, which has won four successive titles with the French manufacturer, is demanding an improvement in reliability and performance.
However, in the wake of a dreadful outing at his team's home circuit, Horner admits that his concern is nothing new, as he first expressed his doubts two years ago.
"We raised our concerns as far back as the end of 2012 with the direction the project was going," he said, according to Reuters. "But designing and building engines is not our core competence and I don't think any of us could have envisaged that Renault would be as far behind as they have been."
The Briton feels that Renault, which amidst talk of the sport abandoning the new formula threatened to walk away from F1, made a mistake in not focussing its development on one particular team.
"When you look at the engine Ferrari has made, the customers have had to adapt their cars accordingly," he said. "Mercedes likewise, whereas Renault has tried to keep all of their customers happy, which is an admirable thing to do but is not the best way to be competitive."
Chris Balfe