Renault wants better reliability

Renault finished fourth in the constructors' championship this year, and Dudot admits the number of engine failures, coupled with the new one-engine per weekend rule, will require a different approach for 2004. The French manufacturer won one race thanks to Fernando Alonso's triumph in Hungary.

"It is a fact that we lacked reliability," said Dudot. "Had we finished every race in the positions where our cars were running when they retired, we could have been fighting with McLaren until the end of the championship. That is certainly a little frustrating, but we know what caused each retirement.

"These figures also demonstrate that the concept would not be suited to next season's regulations, which dictate the engine must complete at least 700km with a single block. A change in philosophy was necessary, and we are confident for 2004."

Despite its poor reliability record, Dudot has defended the oft-maligned wide-angle RS23 V10 used in 2003.

"This power-plant earned its place among a select group of engines that have won a grand prix," he said. "That is actually quite revealing: bad engines do not win races. I think the result was a fair reward for all the work of the engineers at Viry-Chatillon. They made a huge effort throughout the season, and the taste of victory certainly made up for some of their sleepless nights."