Renault says it is braced for a spate of engine penalties in the closing stages of the 2014 season.
Toro Rosso rookie Daniil Kvyat became the first driver to fall foul of Formula 1’s strict new power unit regulations when he used a sixth Renault engine at the previous Singapore round, resulting in a 10-place grid penalty.
With more than half of the field on the brink, having used five of at least one of the six separate elements, the French manufacturer’s Head of Track Operations, Rémi Taffin, has accepted that there will be more drops.
“Reliability will start to play a major role in results at this point in the season since every team and driver has had to mix and match as we have learnt more on the operation of the power unit,” Taffin said of the engine situation.