Renault: Caught in the F1 crossfire
Its title run is over, it's throwing all its weight behind its disgruntled works team, and it's in the thick of the engine (un)freeze row. Renault's F1 chief talks to DIETER RENCKEN
Having originally analysed the polemics surrounding the question of Formula 1's 'engine unfreeze', this column risks belabouring this extremely contentious debate. Yet so vital is the topic to F1's future sporting and technical health that at times during the Russian Grand Prix weekend it rivalled even Jules Bianchi's shocking accident as the dominant topic in the pitlane, with virtually every team boss throwing his (or her) tuppenny-ha'penny's worth.
The background to discussions in Russia is that Mercedes executed an abrupt U-turn, having agreed an unfreeze during a meeting of all team bosses - save for Force India, whose invite got lost in translation - in Singapore. Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff, who, of course, holds the whip hand by dint of having the gold standard power unit, and freely admits to the about-face for governance reasons.
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