Renault aims for big gains

Renault has set a rather ambitious target: it intends to halve the gap to dominant Mercedes. The French manufacturer will start the season with a heavily-modified power unit.

Formula 1 embarked on a new journey as it started a new chapter with a brand-new technology of hybrid power. While Mercedes managed to excel at the dawning of the new era, rival engine manufacturers Ferrari and Renault have faltered last year.

Renault’s new boss Cyril Abiteboul has conceded that Renault was about 60 horse power down on rival Mercedes.

“We estimate the gap between our engine and that of Mercedes at the end of the season to be about 60 horse power," he revealed to the broadcaster Canal Plus.

Power units were divided into 66 parts and 32 of those could be reworked until the 28th of February.

Ferrari, however, recognized a loophole in the rule book and scored a political victory over the winter as the governing body FIA enabled to the engine suppliers to develop their engines all through the season until they use all of their 32 tokens.

Abiteboul said that Renault would start the season by using most of their development tokens.

"Unlike Mercedes, we will start with the 2015 version of our engine, which is the same for Red Bull and Toro Rosso," he added.

"To date, we have used about two thirds of our allowed (32) ’tokens’ to develop our engine this year. Our goal is to win at least five races this season," said the Frenchman.

Renault is adamant to close the gap on field-leading Mercedes.

“We hope to close the gap by half, from the start of the season in Melbourne.”