Renault admits a Formula 1 race-winning engine won't happen in 2015
Renault believes its customers Red Bull and Toro Rosso will have to wait until next season at the earliest for the French manufacturer to provide them with a race-winning engine
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Renault was in "a bit of a mess" after his outfit and Toro Rosso suffered two engine failures and a "bunch of driveability issues" in Australia.
Daniel Ricciardo finished a lapped sixth and Daniil Kvyat failed to start, while Carlos Sainz Jr was ninth and Toro Rosso team-mate Max Verstappen retired with a power unit issue.
After Ricciardo won three grands prix in 2014, Renault had hoped to halve the deficit to Formula 1's pace-setters Mercedes over the winter, but the French manufacturer has failed to deliver.
Renault F1's managing director Cyril Abiteboul told AUTOSPORT: "A race-winning engine on merit is not something that is going to happen this year, we know that.
"But to win races, it is not just the engine but also the car and the drivers."
Renault concedes that it has made shortcuts in a bid to accelerate development - and it is now paying the price.
"We have been pushing an aggressive and late development programme over the winter," said Abiteboul.
"What we have done is shortcut and bypass the important steps in engine development. That means some of the stuff you should be doing on the dyno, you end up doing on the track.
"That's not really the way forward, but it is good learning for everyone who was pushing for this strategy.
"I think it is no secret that Red Bull in particular is very aggressive in their development strategy. They try to get us to apply in the engine world what they apply in the chassis world.
"We can do a better job on the engine side but it is not something you can do in one winter."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Top Comments
F1 testing: Max Verstappen feels 'big difference' in 2018 Red Bull
Williams F1's Oliver Rowland to test Super Formula car at Suzuka
Why F1's under-fire rookie is already causing surprises
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
Friday favourite: Renault's original F1 title-winner that began the Alonso era
Why Renault's survivor wasn't part of Alpine's plans
BTCC Brands Hatch: Hill takes the title as Sutton wins thriller finale
Exclusive: Hulkenberg: Haas is going to be a serious competitor in the years to come
BTCC Brands Hatch: Ingram back in the hunt with victory
Quartararo: “Unacceptable” to run out of fuel again in Japanese GP
When McLaren conquered F1 and the Indy 500
How Hulkenberg transformed his F1 career with Haas
Jon Noble: Why even F1’s cleverest minds get lost in explaining rollercoaster season
Can Alpine’s latest regime change shift its course?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
