Renault Sport F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul has confirmed that the persistent Energy Recovery System issue, which hampered all three of its Formula 1 teams during pre-season testing, has been addressed and fixed for the opening race in Melbourne this weekend.
Renault, Red Bull and Toro Rosso all suffered issues related to ERS during testing, forcing Renault to investigate the cause and put a fix in place for the Australian Grand Prix, which it has now done according to Abiteboul.
"We have addressed the ERS issue which caused us reliability concerns and do not expect to see a repeat of it in Australia," confirmed the Frenchman.
"There is a balance between pushing the envelope of performance and maintaining the requisite reliability and the trick is to stretch the margins without overstepping them."
Speaking specifically about Renault's aims for the season ahead, Abiteboul said they would be targeting points at every race to ensure they can meet their objective of finishing fifth in the standings.
"We know we have a strong base with the R.S.17 which puts us in good stead for the relentless development race we expect to see. We are confident in the abilities of the team to improve and develop the car over the year," he added.
"Our own target for Albert Park is the same target we will have for every race this year: points.
"We want to score points throughout the year so when the final tally comes we have finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship."
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