Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsRed Bull Racing

Renault answers Red Bull complaints

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Renault Sport F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul has reacted to the criticism expressed by Red Bull.

After Daniel Ricciardo's engine failure yesterday, Helmut Marko directed some virulent criticism towards the French manufacturer, infuriated by the lack of performance and reliability of its power unit.

"This isn't an easy weekend and we are clearly not performing at the desired level", acknowledged Abiteboul on French channel Canal+.

"To sum things up, the manner in which the engine repeatedly delivers its output and driveability... it's complicated," he added. "We lacked time on the test bed, as components arrived late because of our aggressive winter development program, and we are paying a bit for this today."

Abiteboul also said that Renault will not be in a position to take advantage of the full potential of its V6 turbo until the Chinese Grand Prix scheduled in mid-April.

"We've given ourselves three races to reach the engine's required level. We do have performance and reliability but we cannot presently fully access them."

Abiteboul also regretted Red Bull openly criticizing its engine partner on the very first race weekend of the season.

"It really doesn't help us work serenely although we must also understand their point of view. They're a successful racing team and want to win, we must therefore also deliver the goods. But we must work towards the future."

"In F1, we should not overreact and we still have twenty races to improve. The bad news is that we've already lost one out of the four engines allocated to Ricciardo's car. But we still have twenty races and twelve upgrade development tokens. And with these tokens will come a big dose of performance during the season."

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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.