Zoom A difficult patch for the Red Bull Renault team

Fabrice Lom, the man responsible for Renault’s V8s at Red Bull Racing, looks back on a difficult weekend in Valencia and looks ahead to the Belgian Grand Prix.

How was the European Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing?
"It was difficult and disappointing. The cars did not have the necessary performance to run at the front and we realised that as soon as we took to the track on Friday. Of course we improved and found speed over the weekend, but not enough. So we finished without any points for the fourth consecutive race, which is hard to take."

At the start of the season, the RB4 seemed strong on all types of circuits, but there have been problems since Hockenheim. How do you view this situation?
"Initially you would think that our competitors have improved faster than us. However, I think that the explanation is elsewhere for one simple reason: the Toro Rossos were in front of us in Valencia. Their cars are similar to the Red Bull Racing cars, but they are a development step behind us, and we were in front of them during the start of the season. Our poor performances recently are difficult to explain."

You are now preparing for the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa. How will you approach this race?
"Our preparation for Spa will involve trying to understand what did not work in Valencia. We feel there is certainly some more performance in the car and we need to develop that as much as possible. In theory, our cars should be more competitive on this more flowing type of circuit. We will use two new V8s, which is not ideal for such demanding back-to-back races as Spa and Monza. It will be tough."

Will you be taking any particular precautions in terms of reliability?
"What is certain is that this combination of circuits will be a difficult challenge for the drivers who will be using new engines this weekend. In comparison with the last races at Budapest and Valencia, the two tracks to come are much more demanding. We must try and look after the engine whenever possible, without compromising performance in Belgium. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some retirements towards the end of the race, especially if some of our competitors, who are unlikely to score points in Spa, prefer to race in Monza with a fresh V8.

E.A. © CAPSIS International