Renault says its third and what's likely to be its final engine upgrade of the 2018 season is nearing completion ahead of its expected debut in a little over two months.
With the latest power units expected to last seven rounds each, due to the FIA's stipulated three per driver per season limit, manufacturers are having to stretch out reliability, but it also means performance upgrades are fewer, though they should be more effective.
Renault, Ferrari and Honda all introduced their latest specifications in Canada last weekend whilst Mercedes had hoped to do the same, but a quality issue forced a delay until next weekend's French GP, meaning neither the works team nor its customer outfits, Force India and Williams, received the new parts.
Now with five races in the next six weekends, development time on the next upgrade which Renault hopes will close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari, is very limited, but Renault's Cyril Abiteboul's revealed that their 'C-spec' upgrade which will see out the season is already being tested and is nearing completion.
"The C-spec engine is already on the dynos at Viry [Renault's engine facility] and we’ll soon be at a stage for its deployment with races coming thick and fast over the weeks ahead, especially with Formula 1’s first triple-header on the horizon."
It's likely Renault will aim to introduce its C-spec unit at the power hungry Belgian GP which comes after the summer break, providing extra development and testing time, though it could be pushed back to Monza depending on how things stand in terms of reliability.
