Renault believes it has identified the problem which undermined the reliability of three of the manufacturer's power units last weekend in China.
Speaking to French broadcaster Canal +, Renault Sport F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul said the cause has been traced to faulty pistons. He also stressed that it would take up to six weeks to engineer a permanent solution, a delay which extends to the Monaco Grand Prix on May 24, and which means Renault's engine problems could flare up again in Bahrain next weekend.
Over the Chinese weekend, Abiteboul was also questioned about the use of engine development tokens, as Renault has more of these left out of the initial 32 set than any other manufacturer, and their ability to improve the engine's performance and reliability woes.
"Could we have made better use of the tokens ? Maybe. But if they are used sensibly, they are more than enough to cover the issues and maybe even catch Mercedes. But there are also limiting factors, because when you don't have reliability you don't work on performance. There is a plan for the way we use the tokens. Engine technology is not something you can impact over night after a bad race, so we need to take into account what is happening on Sunday and then inject it into our development strategy. There is a plan to use all of our tokens this year as quickly as possible, but we must not rush into something that may not be the most efficient in terms of token use."
Red Bull's current fifth place in the constructors standing, if not improved by year end, could also materially impact the team's budget which in turn could a lead to funding issues for the Milton Keyes outfit.
"Of course it has an impact, admitted Christian Horner. "We have a budget like all teams, that is set in October for the following year. But we will deal with that at that point in time. We are three races in, we are fifth in the constructors’, which is not where we want to be."
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