Christian Horner has described the Renault power unit as "undriveable" after a disappointing Australian Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo was limited to sixth place in the opening race of the season, lost a number of places at the start as numerous cars accelerated past the Red Bull despite a solid launch. Having already criticised Renault this weekend, Horner highlights the run to the first corner as proof of how bad the power unit is.
"It’s been a tough weekend and a very tough weekend for Renault," Horner said. "The engine is quite undriveable and you can see and hear that from the comments that the drivers are making. The clear evidence was at the start when Daniel got a pretty reasonable start before drivability came in and you can see the holes that are in the power delivery. A lot to be done."
Horner was even willing to quote figures to highlight the deficit Renault is facing.
"We’re probably 100bhp down on Mercedes at the moment. I think [Ricciardo] got everything out of the car."
And Horner says Renault needs to urgently react to its current approach, saying the engine manufacturer is "in a bit of a mess" at this stage.
"After this weekend it’s important that we regroup with Renault and try to offer support where we can because it’s obviously in a bit of a mess at the moment. We need to understand things quickly. Across the four cars we have had two engine failures - one within five laps – and a whole bunch of reliability problems. It’s not the start Renault can afford to have."
Click here for the full gallery from the Australian Grand Prix
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he was surprised by Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join…
Aston Martin has officially requested a ‘right of review’ from the FIA regarding the 10-second…
Mercedes Formula 1 junior driver, Frederik Vesti, is set to experience the electric world of…
Adrian Newey's departure from Red Bull is reportedly imminent, with an official announcement potentially coming…
For many motorsport fans around the world, it's hard to seize the end of April…
After his maiden test at the wheel of an F1 car at the Red Bull…