Renault has revealed the engine it will use to start the 2015 engine. The French manufacturer, who were thought to be 60BHP down on Mercedes last season, has overhauled the 1.6L V6 Turbo that will power Red Bull and Toro Rosso for the new season.
Renaultsport’s Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul told Autosport “We believe we have made a very big step in performance and will be more reliable.”
The Renault CTO Rob White explained to the magazine the extent of the changes that have been made over the winter. These included the internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger (TC) and the power store just to start. “The ICE will have a new combustion chamber, exhaust system concept and variable trumpets.”
Further changes include a more efficient compressor – which will aid turbo boost and therefore power output -, improvements to the ERS system to allow harsher usage and packaging improvements that will help lower the centre of gravity. System upgrades have also been simplified to speed up installation and troubleshooting.
The 2015 engine freeze regulations allow for teams to change up to 48% of their power units over the course of the season, with the power unit split into different “tokens” of which any 32 can be modified. Despite the number of changes made, Renault say they still have tokens remaining to allow for further developments to take place mid season.
The engine manufacturer has also undergone staffing changes in its motorsport department.
As mentioned, Rob White is now Chief Technical Officer. He works alongside ex Head of Production Jean-Paul Gousset, who has become Organisation Performance Officer. Naoki Tokunaga is head of the new development department, whilst Head of Trackside Operations Remi Taffin will also guide factory operations.
Photos courtesy of Infiniti Red Bull Racing
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