Cyril Abiteboul says Renault aims to have the best overall Formula One power unit by 2018, with the French manufacturer buoyed by its strong 2016 recovery campaign.
After a dismal 2015 season where poor engine and reliability brought Renault and partners Red Bull to the very brink of separation, the Milton Keynes-based outfit harnessed its improved power unit to bounce back this year, securing one pole position, two wins and another 14 podiums.
More importantly, Renault showed perfect reliability when its engine rivals suffered a few hiccups, including Mercedes, whose power plant has been ruling the roost in the latest V6 1.6-litre turbocharged era.
“Our biggest achievement was our progress on the engine side,” Abiteboul said during the Renault Sport Series Awards Ceremony in Paris. “We have emerged from a situation where performance and reliability was poor to have the most reliable unit in the field.”
“We don’t have the most power yet but we have planned several significant steps to further improve our package and make it the best engine as early as 2018.”
Renault team principal Frédéric Vasseur said last month that the French constructor is working on a “100% new” power unit for next season, which has been made possible by the scrapping of the much-maligned engine development token system.
INTERVIEW: Stoffel Vandoorne: The long wait is over
TECHNICAL: Under the skin of the Force India VJM09
FEATURE: Nico Rosberg in numbers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Lewis Hamilton: Australian GP – Albert Park Lewis Hamilton’s very first Grand Prix weekend…
One driver has a hugely famous name, the other is a special Grand Prix winner,…
As the Ferrari factory in Maranello glows in festive crimson, a sense of anticipation hums…
Lando Norris had just done the hardest thing in motorsport – winning the Formula 1…
A veteran of 41 Grands Prix starts, Howden Ganley - seen here above hitting a…
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc may not have ended the season with a silver trophy in hand,…