20/05/2018
NEWS STORY
Speaking ahead of this week's Monaco Grand Prix, Renault's engine technical director Remi Taffin has confirmed that the French manufacturer's much-anticipated upgrade will come two weeks later in Montreal.
"Race seven, the Canadian Grand Prix, is where we will introduce a fresh engine taking advantage of some upgrades," he revealed. "I hope the gains match our expectations; we're looking forward to seeing this in action.
"When we get to Monaco, we don't want to be changing anything from the last five races," he added. "The most important thing for a driver in Monaco is to have confidence in how the engine will behave.
"Of course, we want to build on our performance, but consistency and predictability is very beneficial at such a unique and challenging circuit. We need to pay attention to how the engine delivers its performance in Monaco because of the low-speed corners and low revs. We will be looking after that, but we are prepared."
While it is hoped the upgrade will allow the French constructor to build on the result in Spain where it overtook McLaren to take fourth place in the standings, it is also likely to be the deal-maker (or breaker) in terms of Red Bull continuing with Renault power units.
With the deadline by which time manufacturers have to inform the FIA of their 2019 commitments passed, Red Bull is now under pressure to confirm its plans for next season, whether it will remain with Renault or switch to Honda.
Speaking in Spain, team boss Christian Horner admitted that Montreal is likely to be the point at which the decision is made.
"There won't be a decision in May," he said. "I think potentially both engine suppliers are bringing an upgrade around Montreal so we wait and see with interest.
"We are hoping for a performance increase," he added.