SPIELBERG, Austria -- Renault has played down the impact of its latest engine upgrade, following suggestions it might have unlocked a Q3 "party mode" to rival Mercedes at the Austrian Grand Prix.
While the Renault engine's race performance is not far off class leaders Mercedes and Ferrari, its power deficit in the final session of qualifying is said to cost as much as 0.3s per lap. Red Bull frequently blames its gap to pole position on its Renault engine, and this month signed a deal to switch to Honda power next year.
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Renault has brought an upgrade to boost the ultimate performance of its power unit in qualifying, although chief technical officer Bob Bell says it is not on the same level as Mercedes' so-called "party mode".