Cyril Abiteboul is expecting big progress with the Renault power unit, with the aim of having the best unit in Formula 1, as soon as 2018.
Speaking during the Renault Sport Series Awards Ceremony in Paris, Abiteboul wants Renault to continue the positive development process that has seen Red Bull Racing in particular become a competitive and outfit on the Formula 1 grid, with the 2016 power unit showing almost perfect reliability throughout the year.
The results of 2016 came off the back of a terrible 2015 where Red Bull were hugely outspoken about the lack of pace and reliability of the Renault power unit, but the advances during last season did wonders to patch up the relationship between the two parties and bring back the Scuderia Toro Rosso team as customers of the Renault power unit for 2017.
“Our biggest achievement was our progress on the engine side,” said Abiteboul, the Managing Director of the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team. “We have emerged from a situation where performance and reliability was poor to have the most reliable unit in the field.”
“We don’t have the most power yet but we have planned several significant steps to further improve our package and make it the best engine as early as 2018.”
