Bernard Dudot backs 2004 engine!


A big team behind!

By role
July 28 2003

Renault Sport's Technical Director, Bernard Dudot, has declared on Formula 1 magazine that the team is optimistic in next year engine. Less than 2 months ago Renault decided to change their engine strategy from a wide v angle to a narrower one. The decission was based to fit next year's regulation of one engine per weekend.

The statement was faced by commentaries on the paddock that this will mean a set-back for the Anglo-British squad.

The development phase for a new 90º engine is stimated to be 15 months, and therefore, Renault had to set to develop for next year the older 72º Supertec engine last raced on 2000.

Besides the rumours, the team is confident that they will be able to use their vast experience on the engine side to have a competitive unit for 2004:

"Next yearwe will revert to a narrow vee-angle engine. I think we probably focused too much on the wide angle of the old engine, because it was a chassis parameter. On the engine side it gave us some new problems, mainly with vibrations which made it more difficult to control the dynamics of the car. The reliability of this engine could not have been guaranteed for single race engines in 2004. But we have also learned things we would not otherwise hae learned with this engine, and all of that knowledge can be used with the new engine, so we believe that it will be competitive straight away. I feel very optimistic." Dudot declared for Formula 1 Magazine.

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