Renault insists it has fixed ERS gremlins
Renault Sport F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul says the power unit issues that blighted his F1 team and customers outfits Red Bull and Toro Rosso won't be repeated when action begins for this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
Looking to make a substantial improvement on its comeback campaign of 2016, which yielded just three top ten finishes en route to ninth in the overall standings, feedback from new signing Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer suggest the RS17 is a significantly better package.
However, the true potential of the car would ultimately be shrouded by persistent technical niggles, traced to a problem with the ERS and affecting Red Bull and Toro Rosso too. It is an issue that Abiteboul promises has been fixed.
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"Pre-season testing in Barcelona was productive but not perfect," he said. "Our car truly looks beautiful on track but it was shy on occasion to take to the circuit. We have addressed the ERS issue which caused us reliability concerns and do not expect to see a repeat of it in Australia.
"There is a balance between pushing the envelope of performance and maintaining the requisite reliability and the trick is to stretch the margins without overstepping them.
Arguably the team with most to gain year-on-year, Abiteboul is sure the RS17 in the hands of Hulkenberg and Palmer is good enough to bring home the fifth place it is eyeing this year.
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"We know we have a strong base with the R.S.17 which puts us in good stead for the relentless development race we expect to see. We are confident in the abilities of the team to improve and develop the car over the year.
"We have two talented and hungry drivers. Nico has already shown us to be the driver we need to help lead us to where we want to be. Jolyon we know well and he has adapted immediately to this new generation car. Crucially, both drivers are giving us similar feedback regarding the R.S.17 so we have a clear direction for progress.
"Our own target for Albert Park is the same target we will have for every race this year: points. We want to score points throughout the year so when the final tally comes we have finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship. It will be a long battle, but we know what we need to do."
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