Renault has revealed it took an unusually-aggressive approach to the 2015 season opener, at works partner Red Bull's behest. Amid Red Bull's disastrous start to the new world championship in Australia, the energy drink-owned team lashed out at Renault for taking a "retrograde" step both in the power and reliability stakes.
Now, Renault is hitting back. "We had a last-minute engine development," said Cyril Abiteboul, "in which we bypassed our normal quality and test bench validation processes. It was these changes that caused the problems in Melbourne, and it is what we are now focusing on at the factory prior to Sepang," he told the French daily L'Equipe.
Abiteboul claimed: "We were very aggressive because Red Bull wanted us to develop fiercely. Now we have to ask ourselves how we could forget our traditional methods. We have been manufacturing F1 engines for 37 years," he insisted. "We know what we need to do."
Although Red Bull is predicting a "dull" season full of Mercedes dominance, Abiteboul said Renault cannot be so easily written off. "If we had said before the 2014 season that we would win three grands prix, you would have laughed at us," he said. "Will we be playing for wins in the short term? No. But we will be back. In order to fight on par with Mercedes, we need some more time."
The tetchy media exchanges between Red Bull and Renault indicate that the partnership is now in the throes of divorce. In the short term, Abiteboul has asked Red Bull for some space to sort out its problems.
"We won together for years, and currently we are having problems together," he said of the Red Bull-Renault pairing. "So far, we have followed and listened to the directives of Red Bull, but clearly the chassis and the engine are two different universes. Everybody should be able to do his job in peace," Abiteboul insisted. (GMM)
Renault took unusually-aggressive approach to season opener
- Published on 19 Mar 2015 13:33
-
1
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Nike reportedly working on F1 return after two decadesNike is exploring a return to Formula 1 after more than two decades away from the paddock, with early-stage talks cen...
01 Sep 2026 16:25 -
How Liam Lawson's Zandvoort drive may have rescued his F1 futureLiam Lawson may have salvaged his Formula 1 career with a composed performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, according to ...
01 Sep 2026 15:23 -
Sainz baffled by Verstappen's thoughts on early F1 retirementCarlos Sainz has expressed genuine confusion at Max Verstappen's repeated consideration of early retirement from ...
01 Sep 2026 14:21 -
Why Lando Norris' New McLaren Role Could Pressure PiastriLando Norris has signalled his intention to become McLaren's undisputed leader, citing growing influence over tea...
01 Sep 2026 13:20 -
Betting on the F1 season: reading the odds and building a race-day strategyFollowing an entire Formula 1 season means constantly reassessing the competitive order. A car that excels through Mo...
01 Sep 2026 14:23
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
4 - Sep 6
Italy
Monza
Team profile
- Team name Mercedes
- Base Brackley, Germany
- Michael Schumacher 3
- Nico Rosberg 4
- Nico Rosberg 6
- Michael Schumacher 7
- Nico Rosberg 8
- Nico Rosberg 8
- Nico Rosberg 9
- Lewis Hamilton 10
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli 12
- Lewis Hamilton 44
- George Russell 63
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- 639,400 comments on Mercedes
59 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Mercedes
Replies (1)
Login to replyPosts: 204
This makes it sound like Renault knowingly took some risky shortcuts in a last minute effort to get more HP from its PU for Red Bull. (Maybe that's what we saw during the first Spring tests at Jerez, when the Renault seemed to do well.) If they described and quantified those risks (of stepping around normal testing procedures, etc.) then Red Bull should not be complaining so loudly. But Red Bull IS COMPLAINING. There's a disconnect somewhere.