A lack of power unit performance was a handicap for the Alpine team last year, when Renault’s Viry-Chatillon powertrain division was focussed on a major upgrade for this season, including a move to a split turbine and compressor arrangement for the first time.
Szafnauer says that his colleagues have done a “brilliant job” in closing the gap.
“We think we’ve made a step on the power unit,” he said. “And we’re within probably 10bhp of the best, and somewhere in the middle.
“I think Viry have done a brilliant job. And it’s up to us now to keep developing the car.”
The significance of the Renault’s strong early season form is that a development freeze is in place until the end of 2025, with some power unit elements already frozen as of last month, and others to be signed off in September.
Szafnauer noted: “So that allows us to work closer with our power unit team to make some improvements that we might be able to make with architecture changes on the chassis.
“Some other things that…
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