Renault Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul reckons the sport needs to find a better balance between engine and chassis importance, believing too much rests on the former under current regulations.
Aerodynamic prowess was desired in the early part of the decade but overhauled technical regulations in 2014 placed a greater emphasis on the strength of the new power units.
Mercedes dominated Formula 1 between 2014 and 2016 but has been joined at the front this year by Ferrari, with the duo comfortably clear of the chasing pack, led by the Renault-powered Red Bull outfit.
Formula 1 intends to introduce cheaper, simpler and noisier engines in future years, though major changes will not take place until beyond 2020, when the next regulatory cycle begins.
Abiteboul, representing Renault, believes a better balance needs to be struck.
“If I want to keep it simple and short – as this is a vast field – we say the engine is still important in a car,” he explained to the official F1 website.
“We are carmakers and the engine is the heart of the automotive industry, so we believe that it needs to be the prevailing factor in Formula 1.
“Having said that, we need to find a better balance than the situation we have now, where the pecking order of the grid is basically the ranking of the engines – which is not healthy for the sport.
“So yes, we need a better balance between the engine as performance differentiator and the fact that a team with a fantastic chassis can also be hugely successful. That is firstly.”
Abiteboul also downplayed suggestions that an independent engine supplier could return to Formula 1 in the near future.
“There are a lot of high hopes in regards to independent engine manufacturers, but frankly you have to go back a long time in history to find a real independent engine manufacturer,” he said.
“Everybody has Cosworth in mind, but Cosworth was subsidised by Ford.
“And should there be an independent engine manufacturer, the technology would have to be low end – and that would be inappropriate for Formula 1 as the peak of motorsport.
“We still have to have a sophisticated technology, as that is part of the footprint of the sport.”
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