Renault ‘on course’ with recovery plan
The French manufacturer endured a troublesome pre-season test period with its new turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 power unit, restricting the combined mileage of supplied teams Red Bull, Lotus, Toro Rosso and Caterham.
But Remi Taffin, Renault Sport F1's Head of Track Operations, remains optimistic that the brand is heading in the right direction, having already witnessed significant progress between the Jerez and Bahrain gatherings.
"Our main goal will be to allow the teams to run as much as possible with the maximum amount of power and drivability," Taffin said prior to the first event. "We still have a lot to learn, but we have covered an entire race weekend with our teams, which has given us a lot of information on how to approach qualifying and the race.
"It is not going to be easy, but we are on course with our recovery plan. Melbourne will be the next stage in this."
While Renault engines covered 8,743km in the pre-season, Ferrari hit 10,214km and Mercedes 17,994km.