Renault expects to continue power unit progress in 2017

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Renault expects to continue the progress it has made this season with its power unit over the winter to make it even more competitive in 2017.

The new power unit regulations proved a struggle for Renault initially, with 2015 seeing an uncompetitive engine lead to a falling out with main customer Red Bull. Having returned to the sport as a full constructor this season, Renault has also made clear steps forward with its power unit and managing director Cyril Abiteboul is confident 2017 will see further progress.

"Abu Dhabi is our final Grand Prix in our rookie season as Renault Sport Formula One Team," Abiteboul said. "It has been a tough 20 races so far on track, as we expected, but for us the story has been our real progress made behind the scenes.

"In terms of our power unit this season we have taken a great step forward in terms of performance and reliability and that is something we expect to continue in 2017. In terms of the infrastructure at Enstone we’re making massive strides with our expansion programme progressing well. The first fruits of this expansion will be seen in next year’s car, the R.S.17."

With one more race remaining this season, Abiteboul is also targeting a strong end to the year for Renault in what will be Kevin Magnussen's final race for the team.

"On track in Abu Dhabi we want a strong and positive race to end the season. There will be a lot of attention at the front of the field as the Drivers’ Championship is decided, but for us a strong end to the year would be a good endorsement of all the hard work wrought over the last twelve months. We have faith that both Kevin and Jolyon [Palmer] will deliver what’s expected of them for the final time this season and for Kevin we wish him well for the future."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.