Renault sure they will come back
French engine manufacturer Renault find themselves in a very dismal situation as they could not find to way to reduce the gap to field-leading Mercedes and was overtaken by rival Ferrari in the development war over the winter.
Renault declared last year that they intended to halve their deficit to Mercedes. Therefore they set up a very aggressive development program which meant they didn’t have time to try every new component on the test bench properly. At the season-opening Australian GP the Renault-powered Red Bull and Toro Rosso complained about poor drivability and lack of power.
Renault’ F1 operational director, Remi Taffin revealed that they were aware of the seriousness of the situation.
"It was a setback for Red Bull. They’re not used to having their cars so far back," he told the French broadcaster Canal Plus.
"But we have had only the second race. In neither race has Red Bull been able to show what is really possible, and in Australia the blame was partly ours. At Sepang it was better from our side, and we got a taste of what to expect from Red Bull-Renault.”
Taffin said that the season kicks off for the duo of Renault and Red Bull in China as both will have surmounted their difficulties by next weekend.
"As for us, the season actually began in Malaysia. By China, Red Bull will have solved its problems, and then the fun begins. Of course I am not saying that we will win the race, but we have a lot of potential for development, both on the engine and the chassis side.”
The Frenchman bases his hope on the history and former successes of the partnership.
"We did not become four times World Champions in a row by chance. Red Bull is good at developing a car, and it will pay off sooner or later," he added.
