Renault have confirmed that they will debut a new energy recovery system (ERS) as part of a revised 2017 power unit package, which it hopes will put them on a par with the leading Mercedes unit.
The French manufacturer has already confirmed it will introduce an entirely new engine and design philosophy for its works team and customer outfits Red Bull and Toro Rosso, which it says has far more development scope for the future.
But managing director Cyril Abiteboul confirmed at the weekend that it would also be introducing a new ERS.
"This year we want to confirm the turnaround of the situation on the engine. Last year was really fantastic, and we need to confirm that," Abiteboul told Autosport.
"We are going to have an all-new architecture on the internal combustion engine, and also be introducing for the first time the second generation of energy recovery system."
Abiteboul explained that although the ERS is delivering the maximum power, there is still a lot that can be improved to increase its overall efficiency.
"There are an awful lot of collateral aspects to consider – like weight, packaging, cooling requirements, plus the intensity of the current that you can use in certain conditions, in particular climatic conditions.
"There are certain things that look like they are secondary, but in F1 nothing is secondary. Once you have reached the top, which is an MGU that can deliver 120KW, you still need to think about these extra elements if you want make your way and reach the top as a team."
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