Renault says it is delivering on expectations with its 2017 power unit, but will only bring further updates once it can guarantee reliability.
The French manufacturer was targeting a 0.3s lap time gain over the winter, with a similar step to come from updates over the course of the season. During testing an overheating issue was discovered on the MGU-K -- the part of the energy recovery system that recovers and deploys energy from and to the rear axle -- forcing Renault to revert to its 2016-spec MGU-K for the opening round in Australia. The plan is to reintroduce the 2017-spec MGU-K as soon as it is working reliably and Abiteboul is confident it will help to close the gap to rival manufacturers Ferrari and Mercedes.
"The performance of the power unit seems to be delivering at the level we expected and we know there is more to come," Renault's F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul said. "In due course we will revert to the 2017-specification MGU-K and we will also introduce upgrades but this will only happen if we achieve the reliability level we need."
Abiteboul believes the Renault works team did not live up to its potential at the opening round of the season after Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th and Jolyon Palmer retired. However, he is confident the team can still achieve its target of finishing fifth in the constructors' championship this year.
"Race one in Australia showed that we have the pace but not necessarily the complete execution with the R.S.17. We definitely had potential to finish in the points at Albert Park, so that is what we should have achieved.
"Clearly, this latest generation Formula 1 has intensified the need to deliver at maximum potential in every regard. We need to ensure that the car is in the right place at the right time, whether that our strategists finding the best clear air on track, our mechanics and every component on the car is faultless, our pit stops occurring as quickly as possible and our power unit is being harnessed in the most efficient manner possible. We must always deliver at the top of our game.
"At short term, the main point is reliability. We didn't have any ERS [issues] but we did experience other issues - most notably Jolyon's brakes in the race - so we clearly have work to do.
"The big positive we take from Melbourne is that we have the pace to be where we want to be: fight for points. If we do everything right, we will fight for fifth place in the championship by the end of the season."