Q&A with Rob White

We are now entering into the timeframe where a lot of teams introduce aero upgrades or mechanical modifications. How does this affect Renault’s work as an engine supplier to these teams?

As the spec of the engine is frozen, the core of what we do does not change if our partner teams introduce new aero parts or significant mechanical changes – we still have a responsibility to deliver a driveable engine that can produce the appropriate amount of torque and power when required. However some changes may have an impact on how this power can be delivered. For example we may have to tweak an engine map or setting. To do this, we work closely with the chassis teams to develop the maps that we believe will satisfy their objectives and then test these settings on one of the test dynos in Viry to quantify both its reliability and performance. Upgrades are planned well in advance by each team so we factor them in when we organise the testing schedules and then the testing itself.

Will the teams’ engines be changed for this race?

For each of our partners we are going to use the same Friday engine we have used in all Friday practices since the start of the season since our aim is to use as many new engines in qualifying and races. We will then introduce new ones for qualifying and the race in Spain. For the Monaco GP we’ll revert back to the engines used in China and Turkey – Monaco isn’t a race that is particularly hard on the engines as it’s low speed and the shortest race of the year at 260km rather than the standard 300km distance. We’re on target with the predicted mileage for each of our partner cars and so far have been able to stick to our initial plan.

Barcelona gives the engine a pretty good workout, but Monaco is the opposite end of the scale. How hard is it to prepare an engine for back to back races that are so difficult?

In actual fact the preparation for two races is very similar regardless of the configuration of the circuit. We run the test engines on the dyno to check for reliability and performance and then we install the maps that work. Monaco is challenging for other reasons – the logistics are hard, the garages are tight and there are more chances for a driver to get it wrong but for us we approach the races the same as we do any other back to back events.