Renault to work on "more permanent fixes" for Spain
Renault is hopeful it will be able to focus on improving its performance after it introduces "more permanent fixes" in the coming weeks following a poor couple of races.
The French manufacturer has been plagued by problems in China and Bahrain and it raced with a de-tuned engine at Sakhir after it was unable to introduce permanent fixes to its issues due to the events being back-to-back.
Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen retired form the Bahrain race with an electrical problem, while Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo lost his engine right as he crossed the finish line at the end of the race.
Renault's managing director Cyril Abiteboul found some consolation in the fact that the failure happened late in the race.
"It wasn't a memorable weekend for us in any way, but we did what we needed to do," said Abiteboul.
"We came here aware of the risks from the previous race, and considering the starting positions, sixth and ninth is the best we could have hoped for with Red Bull today.
"Another engine problem is definitely not what we wanted to see, but I will take as a positive sign that it was at the very end and did not impact the final result of Daniel.
"Reliability has been our Achilles Heel since the last two races, but with 18 days to go before the first session in Spain, we have the time to introduce the more permanent fixes we have in the pipeline and start making the performance steps we are all keen to make."
Ricciardo was using his fourth engine in Bahrain and will have to start serving penalties if he uses a fifth unit.
Share Or Save This Story
Alpine becomes Pramac's main partner in MotoGP
Liberty Media's $4bn MotoGP deal facing EU probe
Ocon wants answers to understand pace slump against Alpine team-mate
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Daniel Ricciardo pushes back on claims F1 drivers look down on IndyCar ahead of first Indy 500 visit
Daniel Ricciardo refuses to rule out racing return after abrupt F1 exit: "Never say never"
Who qualifies for ADUO? Red Bull shares its F1 power unit pecking order
Max Verstappen’s feet were “flying off the pedals” as Red Bull explains Montreal struggles
Where you can find the best battles of F1 2026
Alex Albon's "freak" groundhog accident turns Canadian GP sprint into glorified test
Zandvoort DTM Qualifying 1: Ferrari dominance after red flag, BMW disaster
Super Formula Suzuka: Sacha Fenestraz wins hectic opening race
F1 2026 qualifying head-to-head: Canadian GP
How Bruce McLaren’s early years set the team on the path to success
Behind the scenes at Pirelli: The hidden factors that go into developing F1 tyres
Where you can find the best battles of F1 2026
Why quirky Montreal will remain F1's true North American gem
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments