Red Bull will only lose ‘hundredths’

Renault’s Head of Track Operations Rémi Taffin believes the performance disadvantage likely to be suffered by Red Bull Racing as a result of their recent engine map changes will be measured in ‘”hundredths” of a second.

The defending constructors’ champions were forced to alter the maps of their Renault engines following their referral to the race stewards at last weekend’s German Grand Prix. There, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer expressed concern that the engine base torque map of both Red Bull Racing RB8s would “artificially alter the aerodynamic characteristics of both cars” in contravention of the sport’s technical regulations. He subsequently asked the race stewards to rule on the matter.

Having heard from Bauer and from representatives of Red Bull Racing, the team was cleared to race, though in the build up to this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix it was forced to change the maps of its cars.

Taffin, however, insists that neither Sebastian Vettel nor team-mate Mark Webber will be significantly compromised at the Hungaroring by the changes.

“It’s very difficult to quantify, but we’re talking about hundredths and not at all about seconds or tenths,” he said of the loss in performance the pair might suffer.

“We’re not talking about big changes,” he added. “We’re talking about an ongoing process, which is obviously race after race you try to optimise your package and engine maps are part of that and that’s what we’ve been trying to do since the beginning of the year.”