Verstappen joins Ricciardo in taking Renault's Spec C
Max Verstappen has joined teammate Daniel Ricciardo in fitting the new Renault Spec C engine at Monza, as Red Bull said the upgrade "delivered what was predicted".
Ricciardo took a complete set of new power unit elements on Friday, earning himself a spot on the back row.
After a promising initial outing, the team has now followed up on its plan to give Max Verstappen a new V6 on Saturday. It’s only the third of the year for the Dutchman, so he doesn’t face a penalty.
It’s understood that on the Renault dyno the Spec C performed better with RBR’s ExxonMobil fuel than it did with the works team’s own.
The Enstone outfit has elected not to use it because of reliability concerns, and the need to focus on its quest for fourth place in the world championship.
“It seems to have delivered what was predicted, so that’s encouraging,” Horner told Motorsport.com.
“Hopefully it’ll run cleanly for the rest of the weekend. It doesn’t appear to be an issue on our fuel, where I think it may be on Renault’s fuel.
"Obviously if there’s any potential advantage, you’ve got to go for it.”
Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul has stressed that there are reliability risks associated with the new spec, and has expressed concerns about a failure leading to more criticism from the Red Bull management.
Horner said: “If there’s any performance on the table, of course we’re going to go for it, taking into account the risks that are associated with it.”
Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko also downplayed such concerns.
“They didn’t tell us about the risk with Spec B, and we had a risk!” he told Motorsport.com. “It’s an improvement. It looks good so far.”
Horner confirmed that both Ricciardo and Verstappen will face further penalties in 2018.
“For sure both of them have got at least one further grid drop before the end of the year,” he stated.
Along with Verstappen, the other new V6 deployed this morning was the Ferrari in Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber, following his crash yesterday.
It’s the fourth of the season, so he has earned a 10-place grid penalty.
Marcus Ericsson, Sauber C37
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Sutton Images
Share Or Save This Story
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Honda crowned 2026 IndyCar manufacturers' champions
How Marcus Ericsson turned a 'Big reset' into a masterclass on the Streets of Markham
Official race results: 2026 IndyCar at Markham
Red Bull is overcoming ADUO restrictions but still calls on tweaks for F1 2027
Charles Leclerc: Ferrari must learn from Red Bull to improve F1 race strategy
How the Bahrain GP in Malaysia exposed Red Bull’s hidden resurgence
Sebastien Ogier’s 2027 WRC future is undecided, but he won’t be at Monte Carlo
Davide Tardozzi on Ducati's Indonesian GP chances: 'Losing 10 or 12 points would not be bad'
Mercedes confirms George Russell's grid penalty for F1 Singapore GP
Nike could return to Formula 1 for first time since Michael Schumacher era
Three kings: F1's generational stars shone at Sepang
How F1 let a golden opportunity slip at Sepang
How the Bahrain GP in Malaysia exposed Red Bull’s hidden resurgence
You Ask The Questions: Emerson Fittipaldi
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments