Renault expects engine penalties

Renault says it is braced for a spate of engine penalties in the closing stages of the 2014 season.

Toro Rosso rookie Daniil Kvyat became the first driver to fall foul of Formula 1's strict new power unit regulations when he used a sixth Renault engine at the previous Singapore round, resulting in a 10-place grid penalty.

With more than half of the field on the brink, having used five of at least one of the six separate elements, the French manufacturer's Head of Track Operations, Remi Taffin, has accepted that there will be more drops.

"Reliability will start to play a major role in results at this point in the season since every team and driver has had to mix and match as we have learnt more on the operation of the power unit," Taffin said of the engine situation.

"We are, however, fairly at ease on this front since we have committed ourselves to introduce a sixth power unit where needed," Taffin went on to explain. "The picture is a lot clearer now and although it is not exactly ideal to have to introduce new parts and take penalties, we can do this at races where the impact will be minimized."

Renault supplies reigning World Champions Red Bull plus Lotus, Toro Rosso and Caterham with engines.