Rémi Taffin: Do not link the number of engines and racing to the economy

Drivers and team managers have been hammering it home for several days on the sidelines of the presentation of the different 2018 single-seaters: reliability will be one of the essential links in potential good performances this season.

The reason: the limitation of the number of elements on the V6 turbo / hybrid Power Units, introduced by the 2018 regulations. A fact which should not give rise to the idea of ​​a race for economy according to Rémi Taffin, technical director in charge of engines at Renault Sport F1 team.

« Above all, we must not link the decreasing number of thrusters to the race for the economy because it is not true, observes the Frenchman. Already in 2017, we had 2/3 of the races which were flat out. And this year, it will be even more true.

We are not slowing down development because from the moment we speak in thousands of kilometers and no longer in hundreds, we have taken this into account in development. And then the different solutions that we implement are increasingly efficient.

Last thing, the only difficulty and even then it's not one, is the question of timing. The more kilometers we have to do, the more we have to validate over significant distances and the more time it takes on the test benches since even if we have the best simulation resources, we still end up doing tests on the benches. If ever there was a tiny bit of frustration, it's there. This is the validation time of an item. »

A development program already defined

Rémi Taffin also lists the different developments planned for the coming season. The Renault Power Unit will equip, in addition to the RS 18, the McLaren MCL33 and Red Bull RB14 (under the TAG Heuer label).

“The engine for Melbourne is known, its specification is approved, we are in the process of building the engines, comments the Losange engineer. We are dividing the season into three and the No. 2 engine will arrive around the seventh or eighth Grand Prix. We are finalizing its specification at the moment.

And then engine number 3 will arrive after the summer break, around Singapore or something like that. It will benefit, if necessary, from advanced developments the following year. Once again, we will be in continuity so everything that is available will be put on this engine but there is no specific development program for the latter. »