Red Bull reveals how Renault put them 'a long way behind' rivals during the previous F1 regulation change

Adrian Newey, the chief technical officer at Red Bull, discussed how the Milton Keynes-based team were left behind on the grid during the early years of the turbo-hybrid era with Renault as their engine supplier.

Newey revealed that the V8 engines, although not the most powerful ones, were a perfect fit for their cars. The car was designed in a particular way to maximize the output of the Renault engines, and the special way they used the exhaust added onto it. In an interview that was released by Red Bull, Adrian Newey stated:

“We had some particular requirements, particularly in the way we used the exhaust – and Renault bent over backwards to maximise what we needed from the engine."

Newey continued:

“We then went into the hybrid era and Renault in the first year [didn’t] interpret the regulations as well as Mercedes, so we were quite a long way behind."

From 2010 to 2013, Red Bull saw amazing dominance on the grid with German driver Sebastian Vettel. They managed to win both drivers' and constructors' championships continuously in those 4 years, making them almost impossible to defeat.

Since they did not work on their own power units at that point in time, they were dependent on Renault for their supply of engines. However, with the 2014 season, came new regulations in the sport.

The cars were required to use V6 turbo-hybrid engines, to which Renault couldn't adapt perfectly. Mercedes, meanwhile, would go on to become the strongest team of the turbo-hybrid era.

---

Adrian Newey reveals that the 2015 engine was 'worse' than the 2014 engine for Red Bull

Since Renault wasn't able to adapt to the new regulations and developed a less powerful engine, the 2014 season saw the Austrian team drop way back.

Sebastian Vettel, who won four consecutive championships with the team, did not win a single race in the season. Daniel Ricciardo, however, had brought the team three victories, but that still wasn't enough for the team.

However, Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey believes that the 2015 season had an even worse engine than the previous one. The team did not win a single race in the season, and with Vettel gone (to Ferrari), the chances of them winning looked narrow.

Newey said:

“When the engine that started ‘15 seemed, if anything, actually worse than the ‘14 engine, that was a pretty disillusioning moment and then you realise that in your foreseeable future if you do a spectacular job you might snatch the odd win here or there, but you’re never going to win a Championship."

Red Bull, now with Honda's technology and the development of their own RBPT (Red Bull Powertrains), established dominance in the 2022 season yet again. They won both the constructors' and drivers' titles again for the first time since 2013. The Milton Keynes-based team will be looking forward to having similar performances in the upcoming 2023 Formula 1 season.