Eric Boullier has revealed that the time lost in the McLaren F1 Team’s switch from Honda to Renault power has already been recovered, and the changeover was smoothly undertaken.
McLaren only signed the deal to switch to Renault ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix after three under-whelming seasons with Honda, and there was work to be done to integrate the French manufacturers power unit into the McLaren chassis due to the different configuration compared to the Honda unit.
However Boullier, the Racing Director of the Woking-based squad, says they have already overcome the time they lost following the late switch of engine suppliers, and the Renault power unit has already been integrated into the McLaren chassis, and all eyes are now on finding performance.
“It went very smoothly,” said Boullier to RACER. “We maybe took a hit of two weeks at the most, but that’s very small and recoverable.
“[The challenge of integration] is going to be no bigger than it was with Honda. Renault is used to working with several teams, so they are very well organized for this and to be honest with you, it’s done today. All the engine and chassis designs are well integrated and now it’s just about car performance development.”
