Renault not surprised by clampdown on engine upgrades

Renault says it is "not surprised" the FIA is clamping down on supposedly non-performance engine upgrades in formula one. As the mid-year month of June approaches, it is believed Honda - for example - has found 50 horse power since Melbourne without spending a single 'token'.

Amid the so-called 'engine freeze', the FIA's token system gives manufacturers some limited scope to improve the performance of their power units during the season. But many changes, ostensibly for reliability reasons, can be done without exchanging tokens.

Honda is not alone. Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault also have not used a single token between them so far during the grand prix season, Italy's Omnicorse reports. So over the Monaco weekend, the FIA issued a directive warning that any modifications to the engines from now on can only be made with 8 days notice, and accompanied by reams of explanatory data.

"I'm not surprised," Renault's F1 chief, Cyril Abiteboul, said. "Like last year, there were about 50 requests for modifying the engines put forward by the manufacturers. It must not be easy to manage all of these requests so I am not surprised if the FIA wants to have more control over the situation," the Frenchman added. (GMM)

Replies (0)

Login to reply

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2026

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar