Renault tell Red Bull: ‘You won’t win this season’

Red Bull’s engine suppliers have told them that they will not have the power to win races this season.

Renault is under intense pressure from the ex-world champions to create an engine that can compete with run-away leaders Mercedes.

However, the French manufacturers seem to have lost ground from last season and have slipped behind Ferrari in the pecking order.

And in a further blow to Red Bull, Renault has said that the problems are not easily fixed.

Managing director Cyril Abiteboul told AUTOSPORT: "A race-winning engine on merit is not something that is going to happen this year, we know that. But to win races, it is not just the engine but also the car and the drivers.

He added: "We have been pushing an aggressive and late development programme over the winter. What we have done is shortcut and bypass the important steps in engine development. That means some of the stuff you should be doing on the dyno, you end up doing on the track.

"That's not really the way forward, but it is good learning for everyone who was pushing for this strategy.

"I think it is no secret that Red Bull in particular is very aggressive in their development strategy. They try to get us to apply in the engine world what they apply in the chassis world.

"We can do a better job on the engine side but it is not something you can do in one winter."

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