Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been told by Renault that the team will receive the exact same specification engine as used by the French marque while they continue to supply the team.
A public spat throughout the 2015 season, in which they slammed the manufacturer for not providing a product capable of fighting at the sharp end of the grid with Mercedes and Ferrari, left the Milton Keynes-based outfit to look for another power unit supplier.
Eventually, with no alternative options, it was agreed that Renault would still supply them, albeit re-badging the unit as TAG Heuer.
Horner told Motorsport.com: “We have the guarantee of absolute parity – and setting that benchmark is great for them to be able to evaluate themselves against.
“They are in a building process and will have an immediate reference of what their engine is capable of.”
While 2017 provides new challenges with the overhaul in car design, Renault still chases the goal of being the best power unit on the grid by 2018.
After the public falling out with Renault, Horner believes that it has helped start a new era of development.
“I think things have changed internally on the engine side,” he said. “After the difficulties we had last year, that was actually the catalyst for positive change and that change has happened. The benefit we were starting to see over the course of this year.
“So long as that continues then hopefully it should put us into an area within the next 12 months of where we were with the V8s – within a couple of percent of the best engine.
“And as far as their own team is concerned, I think we are a great benchmark for them.”
It has long been speculated as to whether the works team can give themselves what is arguably an unfair advantage by supplying engines to customer teams which don’t produce the same performance as those in the factory team.
The gap between Williams and Mercedes has been an interesting example of this as to whether some specials maps or settings were withheld either because of the engine deal in place or whether it is simply just for competitive reasons.
Teams further down the grid often have to wait much longer for upgrades again mostly due to contract clauses but it also harms the level of competition.
Of course, it is to be expected that a works team will always get the absolute most out of what it produces whereas customer teams and of course the Renault situation is different to Mercedes and Ferrari. But it also does give credence to comments by Ron Dennis who, despite having seen McLaren struggle in the first years with Honda, has always maintained the team are stronger in a partnership than as a customer at the mercy of what they are given.
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