Renault have decided to fast-track their next engine update to this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix as they aim to turn around a below-par start to the season, made worse by dismal performance in Baku last time out.
In Barcelona this weekend, there is nowhere to hide for Cyril Abiteboul and his team as they need to reverse the tide and reassert themselves as best of the rest before problems morph into a fully blown crisis.
These are the hard facts regarding their campaign after four races this season:
- They are seventh in the constructors’ championship on 12 points, 161 behind leaders Mercedes.
- This time last year were two places and 23 points better off, 79 points behind then leaders Ferrari.
- In races where at least one car has finished, Renault averaged sixth place after four races last year.
- This year, they have never finished on the lead lap and have averaged ninth place.
- They have three DNFs with Daniel Ricciardo (2) and Nico Hulkenberg (1).
- Renault’s qualifying average is 1.325 seconds down on the pace-setters this year.
With the latest spec PU the French manufacturer have tweaked the ICE in an effort extract more grunt from the package which is well down the pecking order right now, certainly down on Ferrari and Mercedes, and possibly even behind Honda.
The official F1 website report that Ricciardo and Hulkenberg will run the new-spec engines this weekend, with customer team McLaren set to do so as well despite them admitting it will be a challenge.
Meanwhile, team boss Abiteboul, who is fast running out of excuses, said ahead of the weekend in Spain, “The start of the European segment of the 2019 Formula 1 season is an opportunity for us to reset. We know we are capable of much more and we need to target clean weekends and races to make the most of our potential.
https://www.grandprix247.com/2019/05/02/inside-line-enough-talk-its-time-for-abiteboul-to-deliver/
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