The FIA allows Renault to modify its engine

Renault and Red Bull received good news before the Australian GP as, according to the newspaper Autosport, the FIA has authorized the French engine manufacturer to make some changes to the engine for reasons of cost and reliability.

Red Bull Racing was the first team to request permission from the FIA for Renault to work on its power unit, accusing some competitors – especially Mercedes – of having a more powerful engine. Christian Horner, the director of the Austrian team, stated that the engine in F1 should not be a factor of leveling power, with rumors suggesting that the French engine is losing 15 to 30 horsepower compared to its German competitor.

According to Autosport, the requested modification would secretly be to reduce engine consumption, a key factor in this season without refueling. The entire paddock already considers the French engine to be the most economical.

«Like all engine manufacturers in F1, we have some permissions to optimize our engines and to have better integration with the chassis, » stated Eric Boullier, director of the Renault team. «So, I think, apart from the requests that were made, some were suspicious and the FIA did not give its approval. But I think that most of them are approved. »

Since the 2008 season, F1 engines have been “frozen” in terms of performance, often leading to complaints from teams feeling disadvantaged by a lack of engine power. At the beginning of 2009, Renault and Honda were already authorized to upgrade their engines.

Without any evidence of the alleged power-related concerns about Renault, the FIA clearly stated that this authorization did not pertain to a performance upgrade.