The director of Renault’s engines department, which currently supplies only Alpine in Formula 1, left the French brand last July after 22 years of service.
Remi Taffin He is one of the most relevant members of Renault’s recent history in Formula 1 and was a key figure in the success of the diamond brand in 2005 and 2006 alongside Fernando Alonso.
However, the restructuring that Renault has decided to face the new stage with Alpine – and that already meant the departure of Cyril Abiteboul – has led to the departure of Remi Taffin from motor management in Viry-Chatillon.
This march takes place months before the entry into force of the regulations of engine freeze from 2022 to 2025, a period for which Renault is working hard with the aim of taking a big step forward in terms of performance.
The 2021 engine, almost the same
The CEO of Alpine, Marcin budkowski, recently pointed to the engine as a weak point that has caused the Enstone team to stall. It’s essentially the same car we’ve had for three years, the same chassis, the same engine, the same gearbox, “said Budkowski in Hungary.”
“We weren’t expecting miracles this season. There were still opportunities in the aerodynamic aspect, we have done a decent job in relation to our direct competitors. We didn’t do the best job, we didn’t do the worst job, we did a decent job, but we could have done better », the Polish engineer pointed out.
“In terms of the engine, we have also lost ground to our competitors because they have developed their engines and we have not.And that’s because we have a major engine evolution next year, ”anticipated Budkowski.
“We did not have the resources to relaunch this year’s engine development program and continue to work on engines for 2022. So we have decided to put all our efforts in 2022. Therefore, it is a strategic decision, Budkowski explained. “I think it’s the right thing to do, but it’s painful, because as a result this year we lost ground compared to our competitors.”