Renault achieving 'biggest ever' engine gains - Abiteboul

Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul has claimed that the current winter engine gains being achieved by the French manufacturer in preparation for the 2019 season are their 'biggest ever', saying the injection of resources is what was required to take the team to the next level.

With Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz behind the wheel last season, Renault earned fourth position in the championship and a 'best of the rest' tag behind Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull.

Renault's aim will be to, at the very least, take fourth position again in 2019, and Abiteboul's words suggest they are could be ready to make an assault on the top trio.

“What I see is an acceleration everywhere,” Abiteboul told Autosport.

“The gains that we will be making on the engine are much bigger than we have ever done in a winter – much bigger – and the gains that we are currently doing in the windtunnel are much bigger than we have ever done.

“But, we have to be careful on the windtunnel side, the aero side, as there is a change of regulation [primarily concerning front wings]. You know that when it happens there is a big reset: you lose [downforce] and you quickly catch up.

“So, it is difficult to make a distinction between what is coming from the regulations and what is coming from the effect of the restructure [at Renault].

“But if I look at our capacity to engineer, to develop, design and manufacture, it is an acceleration everywhere.”

Renault mean business in 2019, as displayed by their bigger allocation of resources which allowed them to poach Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull.

Abiteboul thinks the money spent, and added stability within the team, puts them in good shape for the start of the campaign.

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“The car we have been operating [in 2018] is more or less a representation of where the team was 18 months ago,” he continued.

“There will be one or two generations of people who will have passed with the next generation of car that we will see next year, and that is frankly is why I am excited.

“We have a level of resource that is, in my opinion, good for what we need to do.

“There is stability of the organisation, there are new people and new faces that have finally joined us, and who understand the organisation, and are now working efficiently.

“So, now it is positive, even if the challenge is huge.”

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