Renault out of patience with Red Bull delays
- Published on 14 Jun 2018 09:27
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- By: Jeroen Jonkers
With uncertainty looming over Red Bull's next move, Renault looks to have kept up with Honda's rate of progress.
Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko said after Montreal that Honda, Toro Rosso's engine partner, stepped forward to the tune of "three tenths" in Canada.
But Renault, willing to remain Red Bull's engine supplier beyond 2018, says it also improved.
"The improvement since Melbourne has been three tenths, including 1 tenth thanks to new fuel introduced in Barcelona," Remi Taffin told France's Auto Hebdo.
"It is the equivalent of about 20hp, which is in line with our expectations. We are already working on the next evolution, which will take place after the summer factory shutdown," he added.
Renault, though, is refusing to wait for Red Bull's now long-delayed decision.
Red Bull says it wants to wait until Austria before making an announcement, but Cyril Abiteboul says that's too late.
"We have extended the deadline due to the 12 years of good cooperation that we have had," he is quoted by Marca.
"In Montreal they saw our new specification and that of Honda -- they have all the information. I see absolutely no reason to delay this further," Renault boss Abiteboul added.
"In Austria, our offer is not going to be there anymore and they'll have to talk to Honda. Our offer has to be accepted in the next few days," he warned.
Taffin, Renault's engine technical boss, said the tension between the French marque and Red Bull is understandable.
"You have to be pragmatic," he said.
"It's been 12 years that we work together, winning a lot of races and world championships.
"We always talk about someone who said something, but we must not forget the 600 people in Milton Keynes and the 400 in Viry-Chattilon. They all get on well, so we have to put that at the centre of the game," Taffin added.
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Replies (14)
Login to replyFatMike
Posts: 153
this is all just PR. Its a double edged sword when it comes to this. Renault does need the RB money to further their PU development. If red bull says in september that they want renault engines theyll take their money
Mr N71
Posts: 31
I dissagree. Renault as on of the biggest car and engine manufacturer of the world does not need RBR money for developing their PU. They now have McL and them selves as a works team and will be better off RBR.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I personally think Red Bull are stalling for time, probably to get a clearer picture of where Rendult and Honda want to go next. But a switch to Honda doesnt seem all that unlikely anymore.
boudy
Posts: 1,168
I with CALLE.ITW in that RB are stalling for time.
Looks like the decision is already made. Renault are getting a bit of their own medicine; so many times promises were made with regards to better performance, power and they failed to bring the power unit close enough to Mercedes or Ferrari. In the hybrid era their performance has been the worst bar one.
Are they taking a punt on Honda, damn right they are. However the combination of Honda and Redbull could spell problems to likes of Mercedes and Ferrari. The only question is if they are able to continually bring performance upgrades. I think they showed that they can and they are.
If you compare were McLaren are now and Toro Rosso than there is not much between them. I think that TR and Honda are doing a great job. Honda seems to thrive on positive attitudes which is great to see.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
They really seem to work together much better than McLaren and Honda ever did. I think a divorce was the best thing that could happen to either party really. For McLaren, it was a wake up call, showing where they actually are. For Honda, it was a second chance with a works partner that gave them more freedom.
Is Honda able to bring out a steady stream of updates? Yes. This can be seen if we look at previous seasons. Will they be able to do enough to catch up with the rest? That is hard to say right now, but in theory it isnt impossible. The Sakura base is on par with what Mercedes have (Martin Brundle's words, not mine), meaning they should be able to get something good out. I wasnt sure if they would be able to pass Renault during 2018, but looking at the kinda boost they had in Canada, I am now.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
@Calle I think you give too much credit to Toro Rosso with regards to the partnership with Honda. It's not like "more freedom" suddenly made the Honda PU engine reliable. The only reason things are reasonably good right now is because of the catastrophic failures of the last 3 years. Toro Rosso were just very fortunate that Honda was available at that time.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
@SPJ thing is, Im not sure I do. At STR, the pressure is off on media side of things, and allegedly they also havent really asked Honda to do certain things, instead opting to let them develop at their own. Remember, McLaren kept asking them to shrink the PU, when maybe power, reliability and efficiency were better goals. But ultimately, I think STR came in ready to reap what was already coming.
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
Boy! Renault must desperate, to supply a team that chides them for every failure, and gives next to no credit in their wins. Heck, they even doesn't name them on the Engines.
boudy
Posts: 1,168
And they pay for that privilege, and for the fact they run an different oil. Can't blame redbull just see where the Renault team is, they are picking up some minor points. It would be good if renault and redbull go their different ways.
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
Its time for Renault to keep faith in their investment, and expel the poor partners. Its a win-win for both, as RB's involvement will provide more data and inputs for Honda. Its not like Renault Engines are free.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Good points, but for Red Bull they are sorta free, or at least not as expensive as they could be, due to TAG Heuer footing a big bit of the bill. But yes, I think this could be another case of a mutually beneficial divorce.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Renault seem to be very patient at running out of patience. I've been reading about this for several months now. Clearly RB want out, but they can't decide if Honda is rubbish or not.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Its just a show for the peanut gsllery methinks. Renault says this, Red Bull retaliate with that, Renault concedes and agrees to do that just a bit longer, etc.
mpm001
Posts: 20
exactly, that is what the hold up is for sure.