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Max Verstappen has admitted Renault turned down the power in Brazil. The Red Bull driver won two weeks earlier in Mexico, but finished just fifth in Brazil. At the same time, the second Red Bull team Toro Rosso was warring on the sidelines with engine supplier Renault.
Verstappen admits that, at the end of the season, Renault has simply run out of spare engine parts as it focuses instead on 2018. "On the one hand I can understand that," he is quoted by De Telegraaf newspaper. "But on the other, if you have so many problems with reliability during the season, then as a supplier you have to do what you can to have enough parts on the shelf. That just seems logical," 20-year-old Verstappen added. "It's frustrating but we also have to accept it. After four very good races it's a bit of a pity, but you also have to be realistic. The car itself was good" in Brazil, he said.
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Niki Lauda, the Mercedes team chairman, thinks both Renault and Ferrari messed up their seasons in 2017 due to reliability. "As we had a car with erratic performance, we could not afford any engine problems," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "So Toto and I asked Andy Cowell what was more important: to find a tenth or to remain reliable? After all, you cannot win a championship without reliability. Ferrari and Renault privileged their search for performance and lost grands prix," Lauda added. (GMM)
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Replies (6)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Meanwhile, Honda could run their's as usual. Not that its a powerful display, but it does show something about their longterm reliability.
kngrthr
Posts: 203
we could avoid all this nonsense with one engine per race rule.
would allow real racing, reliability and let new engine suppliers actually develop
Barron
Posts: 625
One engine per race? That would be insanely expensive. Cosworth DFV’s were “freshened up” after each race (the weakest point valvetrain was replaced), but even they could run several races with the same short block. I think good engineers prefer to build stuff that lasts, not just one race “grenades”. There’s no skill in that.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
One per race isnt doable. I dont want to have half of the teams on financial life support. No, 5 units per driver per season is more than sufficient, anything more is financially bad and less can harm the show.
Barron
Posts: 625
It’s an interesting condundrum. As a Renault customer I would be highly suspicious of them turning my engines down especially if they were a direct competitor (which they are). If you are the PU supplier presumably you make money from engines supplied so the more you supply the more you make? I also find it odd that a company with the resources of Renault simply “ran out of spares”. McLaren, what have you gotten yourselves into?
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Worse: this isnt the first time this happens. Reports of it hasnt been wide spread, but Renault has fumbled on this bit several times. "Amazing services"... Ha HAHA... Abiteboul!