Renault’s Taffin: Mercedes and Honda behind us https://www.planetf1.com/news/renault-mercedes-honda-behind/ Renault’s head of its PU department, Remi Taffin, believes only Ferrari are ahead of Renault in the engine game with Honda bringing up the rear. Renault finished last year’s championship fifth on the log, unable to enter the battle for a top three spot. Those went to Mercedes, Ferrari and the Honda-powered Red Bull team. Despite that, though, Taffin reckons both Mercedes and Honda’s power units are behind Renault’s. He told Auto Motor und Sport that he believes Honda are roughly “15 or 20 kilowatts” behind their rivals.“We are in a close battle with Mercedes and Ferrari in engine performance,” was Taffin’s assessment. “Mercedes is a bit behind us, Ferrari a bit ahead. Honda is one step behind. “But today we are no longer talking about differences of 50 kilowatts. “With Ferrari, Mercedes and us there is between five and ten kilowatts. “At Honda it’s maybe 15 or 20 kilowatts behind.”
We've seen it before. I think McLaren honestly believed they had the best chassis and the Honda engine was holding them back. They got a rude awakening when they switched to Renault. I think it could (note could not is) the same here. They may be honestly deluding themselves with no malice. One part of the package can hide issues with the other. It really could be the chassis and aero package masking the engine performance. Look at Danny Ric. He is the absolute master of late braking and passing into the corner. How many times did we see him screw it up in the Renault last year? Many. Maybe that's because the car isn't that good, but it looking 'OK' as the engine is better than we thing. Ditto with McLaren, maybe their chassis still isn't as good as they think and the engine is better than many people think. I'm not saying this is the case, just possibly, and that maybe it's not all BS from Renault and they do believe this rightly or wrongly.
I mean, the fact that a customer beat them with their own engine points to the engine not being the problem....And RB was winning with the Renault at roughly the same clip as the Honda, so I don't think they're behind Honda, maybe not ahead as they believe but I don't think they're behind.
Renault has a long history of lying about their engine performance. Even last year, they did make a step forward but only in a engine mode that lasts a lap or two, tops. They started about equal or perhaps even ahead of Honda last year but fell behind. Honda doesn't have the outright power but do have a good balanced engine. Where Honda needs to make up is single lap power. If they can mimic a Mercedes style party mode this season they're competing in both quali and for race wins/title. Ferrari is clearly ahead in outright power and has a party mode that matches Mercedes (...pending on FIA investigations on a race-by-race basis). It lacks in reliability however... Frankly speaking, the renault has been especially crap since turbo hybrid era began, and promised every year the same: ''We'll have a brand new engine next year, and it'll be the best''. Not once have they delivered. Furthermore they've been significantly outpaced by the teams they supply engines to YoY. I feel bad for Ricciardo having believed Abitouls lies (though admittedly it really was a tough choice...take a gamble on the at the time bad honda vs Renaults constant promises for greatness...+ 30 million big ones and number 1 status). Renault will once again be nowhere in 2020, beaten by mclaren. And 2021 (if they're still around), much the same.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148276/renault-future-looks-safer-now--abiteboul Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul says the manufacturer's Formula 1 future appears safer now the company's future management structure has been sorted. Turmoil at Renault, caused by the arrest of former Renault-Nissan alliance head Carlos Ghosn last year, prompted a major review of its operations. Interim CEO Clotilde Delbos said last October that Renault would question all its activities, including its F1 programme, as it mapped out its future. But, despite the announcement this week of the first company-wide losses for a decade, which will prompt widespread cost-cutting, Abiteboul said the indications are that the F1 team is safe ahead of new CEO Luca de Meo's arrival later in 2020. Asked by Autosport about the F1 team's future, Abiteboul said: "On Renault, I guess the main development is the fact that we have a confirmation of the new governance structure finally. "It's been a number of evolutions like in Formula 1. "But now in Luca de Meo we have a clear CEO. He will not join before July, but at least we have a date and a name. "In addition to that, the single most important piece of information, whether you got it or not, is the fact that Clotilde Delbos, current acting CEO, will remain as deputy CEO when de Meo arrives. That's very important. "Why that's very important is because it means there will be a continuity of the governance, continuity also of the decisions. "Which means that everything that we're discussing today with Mrs Delbos will be valid even when de Meo arrives."
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148265/renault-form-wont-be-enough-to-keep-ricciardo Renault says its conservative expectations for the coming Formula 1 season mean it will need a leap of faith from Daniel Ricciardo about its 2021 prospects to keep him. The team was cautious about its chances at the launch of its 2020 programme, aiming only for fourth in the constructors' championship and making no promises about becoming a frontrunner. Ricciardo's two-year contract is up at the end of the season, and vacancies are currently available at Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari for 2021.
They should wrap up and leave. One of the most under performing team. I think Cyril's tagline is over promise and under deliver
I don't get why people call for under performing teams to up and quit all the time? What's the point. We want more teams in F1 not less. Let's talk about under performing teams quitting when we have 15 teams (30 cars) vying for 26 spots on the grid and the same team is last for 3-4-5 years in a row. McLaren were in deep **** for years and are now fighting their way back up the grid on merit. Williams have trended downwards, except for a few brief high spots, for over a decade now, but are obviously fighting back hard. Ditto Renault. Don't forget they only bought back the ghostly remains of their team from Genii in the 15/16 off season. They've had a long hard slog to re-build their team, let's give them a chance. If Renault Quit they'd probably pull the plug on engines too.
Also, if we were to eliminate under performing teams, Ferrari wouldn't be around any more, because they went through bare periods during their long history.