Renault: “We still have to make the most of the 2015 engine”

It seems that to the recent ones Jerez test la Renault has not made the most of the potential of the 2015 engine. Compared to last year, the French engine manufacturer's power unit has been significantly updated and is still in the testing phase. So no alarmism.

During the first seasonal outing the Red Bull she didn't have a particularly brilliant debut with the new one RB11 who struggled to keep up with his colleagues on the track (McLaren-Honda apart from).

After the rather painful performance in Jerez, Helmut Marko However, he silenced the rumors that the drinkers were in technical crisis, insisting that the RB11 he drove with "a mix of old and new components" and explained how the new engine was used at "lesser power".

Also Remy Taffin, responsible for track operations for Renault, confirmed that the 2015 power unit only worked at 80/90%. “Renault now he will gradually increase the pace and reach 100% at the beginning of the season,” he explained Taffin.

“I think a Jerez we were 1 and a half seconds ahead of our potential in terms of pure pace, but we have to conserve the power units to cover the kilometres. In Barcelona we will focus more on the performance of the engine and explore its limits,” added the man from Renault.

It is known as Renault struggled to get used to the new era of V6, with Horner which in 2014 revealed a deficit against Mercedes equal to 75 horsepower.

“We've definitely made some progress,” he said Taffin, “but it is still difficult to know where we are in comparison to our rivals, who at the same time have not stood idly by. Let's just hope they haven't progressed as much as we have."

Adrian Newey not sure what the package Red Bull 2015 is able to beat that Mercedes. “When you're at a disadvantage it's hard to catch your rival, since the development times for an engine are much longer than those needed for the chassis. But to Renault they are working hard and we must have trust in our partner”, commented the British engineer, who is currently also involved in other projects.

The ever optimistic Daniel Ricciardo, the only driver not registered Mercedes having reached the podium in 2014, he instead hopes to fully enter the fight for the 2015 world championship. Newey but he doesn't seem too convinced.

“I think it will be extremely difficult. The advantage accumulated by Mercedes in 2014 in terms of power unit, equal to around 10%, it is not a gap that can be filled in a single season. In reality it is likely that we will still be on the defensive but we will still continue to push."

Nina Stefanelli