Renault confident over engine life

Championship leaders Renault insist they are not worried about next month’s Canadian Grand Prix, despite predicting a “very demanding” race for their engines.

New rules for 2005 mean engines must last two races and after a hard weekend at the Nurburgring in unseasonable heat, the same power plants will be shipped across the Atlantic to Montreal next week.

But Renault engine chief Denis Chevrier said: “The Nurburgring is quite a demanding circuit for the engines, and Montreal is certainly a very stern test.

“The circuit has a lot of slow corners followed by long periods at full throttle, and the average engine speed and the time spent at full throttle are all high, making it a very demanding challenge.

“But the fact that it is demanding does not mean we are worried. The engines ran well all weekend in Germany, and they are designed for this two-weekend life cycle. We are confident that we will once again perform strongly in Canada in two weeks’ time.”