Renault looking to ‘consolidate’ Baku performance in Spain 

Renault hopes a performance boost to its Formula 1 engine following a fuel upgrade will help the team “consolidate” its impressive Baku display at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The French manufacturer and McLaren will be provided with new fuel targeting improved power and efficiency in Barcelona, however fellow Renault customer team Red Bull will not  have access as it uses ExxonMobil as its fuel supplier instead of BP/Castrol. 

Renault made significant improvements over the winter and secured its best result since returning as a fully-fledged works team in 2016 thanks to Carlos Sainz’s fifth place in a crazy Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

But Renault’s power unit continues to lag behind Mercedes and Ferrari’s engines, though a major performance upgrade is planned for introduction at June’s Canadian Grand Prix.

"The start of the European season now needs to see a consolidation of that performance [in Baku],” Renault sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul said. 

“We will be helped in Spain by a step on the engine side with new fuel and some aero tweaks to reflect the characteristics of the track. 

“We hope this to be a move forward, but we also recognise that many other teams will bring upgrade packages too and Barcelona is well known to everyone.”

Renault currently occupies fifth place in the constructors’ standings and sits just a single point behind rivals McLaren heading into this weekend’s race.