Renault regrets two retirements out of four cars at Spa

Thanks to the progress of the Red Bull chassis and the Renault engine, Daniil Kvyat made a solid comeback to finish in 4th place. Max Verstappen, despite starting at the back of the grid with the Manor cars, also had a good race in his Toro Rosso-Renault to finish 8th.

Rémi Taffin, Director of Operations at Renault, highlighted these two performances on Sunday evening: « Overall, the performance of the power unit met the set expectations. The drivers were able to effectively use its power while having a better top speed. This allowed them to compete, as demonstrated by Daniil and Max. Both overtook several competitors to score points. »

The record is nonetheless overshadowed by two mechanical retirements, both apparently linked to the Renault power unit. « Daniel [Ricciardo]’s car’s power suddenly cut out and we are still investigating the problem. For Carlos [Sainz], it seems to be due to poor handling [a poorly secured connector in the engine] » added Rémi Taffin.

After the race, Cyril Abiteboul, the General Manager, was not yet sure whether to see the glass as half full or half empty: « There are positives and negatives. The Renault-powered cars surpassed those equipped by Ferrari or Mercedes on the straights and in the corners. We also placed two in the top ten on the most demanding circuit of the year. However, we recorded two retirements, one of which cost us a potential podium. We need to understand what happened. If we can further improve reliability, our performance will allow us to compete for podiums and points once again with both teams. »

Renault will make a decision on its future in Formula 1 in September. The two options being considered are the acquisition of Lotus or a complete withdrawal.