Chevrier talks about E- and D5 spec

The Renault F1 Team’s engine operations chief, Denis Chevrier, explained the different engine specs used by Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella this weekend during the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, the final race of the season.

"We spent a long time analysing the championship context and we concluded that, in contrast to what we generally offer them, our drivers would need a different level of performance potential this weekend. Fernando is aiming for the drivers’ title and only needs a point. As for Fisico, he has a role to play in winning the constructors’ and also wants third in the championship."

"This development began at the start of the season when, with one driver ‘out of phase’ on his engine usage, we saw there was a good chance that we would be able to use one of our engines for only a single weekend at the final race. Gradually, we designed an engine whose reduced duty cycle meant we could raise the level of performance. To summarise, the performance of the E spec, at a given level of revs, is higher than the D spec. What’s more, the engine’s potential to be used at maximum performance throughout the race is greater. This is the engine Giancarlo will use."

"No, simply because the D spec we used in Monza was already a big step forward. But there’s still something in it…"

"Yes, in the sense that the engine is structurally capable of running two races. It is the ultimate evolution of the ‘D’ family, a step beyond the D4 engines we used in China and Japan. The difference between the two is essentially in some modifications to further improve the reliability, and some extra performance in race conditions. By using this basis for just a single race weekend, it gives us a little extra cushion of reliability, say 5%. That’s significant given what’s at stake for Fernando this weekend."