Renault to add 50 HP to start 2005

This Autosport.com article says, Renault plans to start the 2005 season with a massive power hike that could put it on level power terms with BMW, Honda and Ferrari. The team reckons it could have at least 50bhp more than it had available in the Brazilian Grand Prix last month, according to sources inside Renault. Renault switched to a conventional angle 3-litre V10 engine at the beginning of 2004 (having pioneered a wide-angle V10 when it re-entered F1) and the engine has long been considered the weak link in the package. Now the French manufacturer reckons the new engines, designed to rules that demand them to last two entire grand prix weekends, will put the team on an equal footing with F1's top engine makers.

“In Viry-Châtillon they've done a really great job," a source told autosport.com. "The new engine is smaller, lighter and already more powerful than the units we have here, so we expect to start the new season with quite a lot more horsepower than we had in Brazil. As everyone else seems to be happy to keep the same level of power they had at the end of the season, this should put us in a good position, engine-wise."

According to sources Renault only managed to get 890bhp from its V10 at the end of the 2004, but expects to start the season with at least 940bhp from the new engine. ……"I know the work that is currently being done by the engine engineers is quite good and I think we'll be in pretty good shape from the engine side," said Fisichella, who is testing for the team at Barcelona for the first time since re-joining from Sauber. "People were talking about massive losses of power because the engines will have to last two GP distances, but I don't think that will be the case. In our case, at least" said the Italian driver, smiling broadly!