Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has slammed engine supplier Renault after Daniel Ricciardo was unable to take part in second practice due to an engine fault.
The team are hopeful they can resolve the issue, otherwise Ricciardo will be forced to use a new unit for the first race, which, when limited to just four this season, would be a major setback.
Marko called the failure unacceptable and has called a meeting with Renault to discuss the problem.
If you have an engine failure after 50km, that is incomprehensible
– Helmut Marko
“The engine is broken after 50 kilometres,” he told the Austrian broadcaster ORF. “We are promised again and again ‘Next time it will be better, the test results are encouraging’.
“We have a meeting on Wednesday in England. Those in charge of Renault are not yet here, they’re coming tonight, but it cannot be like this,” he added.
“If you have an engine failure after 50km, that is incomprehensible.”
The Austrian believes they have taken a step back when compared to last year, whilst team principal Christian Horner reckons they have “similar power to Abu Dhabi”.
“With all the engines, driveability is significantly worse than in testing,” added Marko. “We wanted an improvement and we have taken a step back.”
