Cyril Abiteboul, Renault F1 Team Managing Director has claimed that the Enstone outfit has matched its lofty ambitions for their 2019 power unit.
Abiteboul has revealed his satisfaction at the “work accomplished” by the Renault team over the winter months as it looks to carry their momentum forward following the capture of seven-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo.
Nico Hulkenberg‘s time on the final day of pre-season testing for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya left Renault as the team with the third fastest testing time, a 1:16.843s.
This coupled with the team finishing second, only to reigning constructors champions Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport in the lap count has clearly buoyed Abiteboul, who stated “Overall, we have had great factory-circuit correlation and co-operation and gathered some critical information.
“We established that our engine performance is matching our expectations, and the chassis concept is good. We now need to build on from here, and continue to feed back into performance.
“As for everyone else, we have lots of work to do ahead of Melbourne but we feel we have maintained the momentum from last season and look forward to getting back out on track.”
The admission that the Renault E-Tech 19 power unit is matching their ambitions is sure to not only boost the team at Viry-Châtillon but also Woking, as the McLaren F1 Team will also look to utilise the power unit to lead the midfield pack.
Renault will hope that their momentum continues to be positive in 2019 and that their new power unit can help lead the RS19 to newfound heights.
