At the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, Renault will introduce their new spec MGU-K but one of their customer teams may not use it.
Plagued by numerous delays, Renault is finally ready with their new specification of MGU-K and not only for their works team, this new MGU-K is available for their customer teams as well at this weekend Austrian Grand Prix.
Speaking to motorsport.com, Cyril Abiteboul said that one of their customers will stick to the old spec. He was tight-lipped on the name of the team.
He said, “It’s available for all the cars that want it. It happens that not all teams have elected to go to the new spec.
“It’s one that we’ve been long awaiting, but it’s a bit of a problem that some teams have elected not to use it, which means that they will continue to use the MGU-K of a previous technical definition, with a higher reliability risk.
“But that’s our philosophy, to accept the teams’ choice, having all the information.”
Renault is introducing this new spec MGU-K on the heels of an issue suffered by Renault’s driver Carlos Sainz at Paul Ricard which appeared to be a failure of old spec MGU-K.
“It’s a part that we know was fragile, it’s a part that we deliberately decided to extend the life of, because we knew that there was a new definition, a new spec coming up, with better performance, better packaging and with a better reliability level,” Cyril added further.
“It’s coming next weekend, but it’s two laps too late for that particular MGU-K!
“Having said that it’s not that bad, because it’s really showing that we are pushing to the limit and we are accepting to take risks.”
Unwillingness to use the new spec MGU-K by McLaren and Red Bull might be because of the concern about the reliability of the new unit. Before they switch on to the new spec, they would want to be sure of its reliability as teams are limited by the number of units they can use in a season.
McLaren might use it as they need every ounce of the boost they can get after a horrifying French Grand Prix and in their quest to convince Alonso to stay with the team for next season as well.
Red Bull are more likely to wait before they fit this MGU-K. Moreover, they avoided impending penalties for Daniel Ricciardo at Canadian Grand Prix. Hence, unless they are sure of new spec’s reliability, they would not want to jeopardise their chances of fighting for the championship.
In last four races, Red Bull finished on podiums in all four including a win at Monaco Grand Prix. Currently, they are third in Constructors’ title and Daniel Ricciardo is also third in Drivers’ championship.
