Renault engine...what is it gonna be?

[Gt_R]

I heard from ITV-F1.com some news about Benetton which i would love to get them straight... Kind of curious about them... Anyone could provide any extra information?

1) Benetton had detuned their engine for the first 2 races.
2) The Renault engine is 100bhp less than the most powerful engine..the BMW..and 40bhp down on last year's supertech
3) Benetton is building a new model for Canadian GP.
4) Benetton's new engine is actually only 95 to 100 degree wide, instead of 111.

So..is that engine as revolutionary as we had believed it to be? At its potential, is it enough to produce bhp that rivals the Ferrari? If yes, why don't they use a "un-detuned" engine for qualifyings?

[Jeanburrasca81]

I wonder if it is right what you heared...but it explains Benettons bad performance in a way. I didn't inform myself about Benetton untill now, and why they were so slow, but lets see what comes out from this thread.

[Maximum F1]

heh, i found it quite funny that the Benetton of Giancarlo Fisichella was turned into a v8 in australia. He lost two cylinders, presumably as a result of a misfire so, I as yet am not impressed with the Renault Engine. But, we all know they have been good in the past and no doubt they will be well improved later on in the season.
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Maximum F1
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[Jeanburrasca81]

A very wise journalist in austrian television, Heinz Prüller, always says...maybe Renault needs some races or even seasons to construct the best engine, but when they're the strongest the others need years to reach their level.

[Big D]

yeah but havin seeing renaults best years (96-97) that took them ages to perform at there best.
theyl be good as new come a couple of years

[papabaz]

If it's true what you heard, I guess Benetton did not expect to get any good results from the first few races, and they kinda used them as an extended test session. If that gives them the data they need to get the engine the way they want it, it's probably a wise descision.

[Dino IV]

Giorgio Piola always praised the Regie for contributing to open technical information in F1. They always kept to the traditional unwritten rule of giving the bore and stroke the engines are running and even provided max. power and revs to the press. In technical reviews therefore you'll find Renault's original information, while the rest has been estimated from top speed calculations.

Jeanburrasca's Pruller quote is quite valid I guess. Renault is once again walking the roads no others have been before. They're running the wide 111 degree angle, a brand new direct injection system and make every effort to get the camless-valvetrain to get past the testbed. They won't be there upfront overnight, but when they do, they'll have such a huge advantage over the rest, they'll run a huge chance of running into an image of untouchability again.

[angst]

Renault's contribution (again) puts the others into the shade. They show another very good reason why the chase for electronic 'remote control' F1 cars has to be stopped. I love technical innovation, and love to see it in F1, but TC, active suspension - anything that akes away from the driver I find detrimental to the sport. TC inparticular has stunted lateral thinking in other areas of F1 design (which Renault have thankfully come in and put right).
Re-write the regs and ban electronic driver aids, find a new way to control aerodynamic downforce (ban the wings? - yeah I know it'll never happen) give them back slicks, allow 12, 8 aswell as 10 cylinder engines and lets see real engineering innovations.

[Airhead]

Can I just get this straight? These technical geniuses are the same guys that bought us the R12 and the R16. Your all kidding - right?

[Jeanburrasca81]

Yes Dino, and Prüller is some kind of an austrian Murray by the way...he took interviews in the boxes starting in the early 60's. And who knows why, but he always gets information from his partners the other media only get a week afterwards...lol