21/08/2017
NEWS STORY
Renault's engine boss, Remi Taffin, has revealed that the French manufacturer will be introducing software and hardware updates at the next two races, aware that Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, both "power hungry" circuits, will favour Mercedes and Ferrari.
"We are looking at Monza as a benchmark as it could provide a clear picture of the ranking of the engines," said Taffin ahead of this weekend's race in Belgium. "Being in the top ten will be a good result as these next two circuits are power-hungry.
"After Monza, we have more races and more things in the pipeline," he added, "the next two months will be important for the 2017 season outcome.
"We have the potential for a good result," he said of his own team's chances. "Over the last few races our cars have been performing well and I can’t see any reason why Spa can’t continue that trend.
"Spa will be strenuous on the power unit given around 67% of the lap is spent at full throttle," he admits. "But we have drivers driving well, a chassis that is performing well and an engine which is on track; it’s all pointing in the right direction.
"We know we’re not the fastest on the grid, but as a team we are showing we are the force after the top three. Qualifying pace has looked good with Great Britain and Hungary exemplifying our ability to be the fourth best team. It’s just a case of building on that and bettering the race pace.
"That comes from levelling up everything, we need to show off reliability and mileage and that is something we are giving close attention. We are on a good trend and we will keep adding performance in terms of both aerodynamics and engine so hopefully this can be seen in the upcoming races."
The software and hardware updates will be welcomed by Red Bull which goes into the next two races knowing that the long straights will leave it at a disadvantage to both Mercedes and Red Bull.
With Renault having made it clear that there will be no major engine upgrades this year, Red Bull will surely take anything it can get in the meantime.