Renault has confirmed it will test its new B-spec engine during the two-day in-season test which follows the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend.
It’s hoped the upgraded power unit will deliver a big step in performance – enough of a boost to put engine customer Red Bull on a par with Ferrari according to Helmut Marko.
“We are pretty optimistic,” the Austrian said recently. “If the figures are right it should put us back in a situation where we can win races again. In fact, we hope to be a threat to Ferrari the rest of the season.”
Renault will also run a number of upgrades during the Spanish GP itself, but much of its upgrade package will debut at the test according to technical director Nick Chester.
“For the race we have an updated rear-wing as well as some updates for the front-wing,” he explained.
“For the test we have a full raft of things to try; new suspension, further aero updates over various areas of the car, some mods to cooling as well as evaluating the B-spec power unit, so we should have a full two days.”
It’s believed Renault are working hard to ready enough engines so that Red Bull too can run the upgrade during the test, which doesn’t count toward the five allocated units for the season.