Renault admits bad call on performance and reliability balance

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Cyril Abiteboul conceded that Renault got its numbers wrong in Mexico City by incorrectly judging the performance and reliability balance of its power unit.

While Max Verstappen sailed to victory, a fortunate outlier in the Renault engine camp, team mate Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso's Brendon Hartley and works driver Nico Hulkenberg all suffered power unit failures on Sunday, pointing to a fundamental weakness of the engine.

The manufacturer will undertake a full analysis of the issues, but Abiteboul believed high altitude and cooling issues likely impacted its engines.

"The Mexican Grand Prix was a difficult one for us with multiple incidents, both Nico’s retirement and one of our partner teams’ car is a reminder that reliability remains an issue and the consequences weigh heavily on us and our customer teams," Abiteboul said.

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"Being in high altitude, we recognise the inevitable challenges this circuit brings. It’s about finding performance without compromising reliability."

On the other hand, Abiteboul recognised that Mexico was not unfamiliar territory for Renault.

"We have been racing for two years here," he said.

"We know what to expect. There is no excuse. We [need to] maybe take a bit more of a humble stance and accept the fact that the engine needs to be managed.

"We have to understand what went wrong in the preparation for this weekend.

"We had performance, qualifying was very good for many of the different Renault-powered cars. However, the balance between performance and reliability was not good.

"Max Verstappen’s win confirms the engine’s potential and I want to congratulate him and his team for this great race. We need to stay motivated for the last two races and focus on our objectives."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.