Renault says F1 engine gained a second over 2016
Baku, December 20, AZERTAC
The Renault Formula 1 team has quantified how much laptime it gained from developing an all-new engine for the 2017 season, according to motorsport.com.
The French manufacturer substantially overhauled its F1 engine for '17, having decided the previous specification had run out of development potential.
The new power unit proved unreliable and could not make use of a new and lighter MGU-K design, but it produced enough performance through the season to allow customer team Red Bull to win the Malaysian and Mexican Grands Prix on merit.
Renault F1 team boss Cyril Abiteboul said the new engine had exceeded Renault's stated target of being 0.3 seconds quicker than the 2016 unit and adding the same amount of performance through the 2017 season.
"That was a goal we set for ourselves, but actually in the course of the season we unlocked different ways to manage the engine and to extract [extra] performance," said Abiteboul.
Although the Renault works team fell short of its "aggressive" target of finishing fifth in the constructors' championship, Abiteboul said the team could feel "very proud" of developing a car that was fourth quickest at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
"On the chassis side, I think it's also very clear we had a very decent chassis from Silverstone onwards, which is a credit to the team that is really taking good shape now," Abiteboul added.
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