Renault discuss the engine issues at Abu Dhabi

Renault engines have a strong history at the track, having achieved two thirds of the fastest laps, pole positions and wins at the Grands Prix held at the track.

The power sensitivity of the Yas Marina track is reasonably high on account of the two long straights. Approximately 55% of the track is spent at full throttle, with average speeds of 190kph, similar to the demands of Montreal. The long straight between turns seven and eight is nearly 1.2km and the RS27 will be at full throttle for 14secs, reaching speeds of over 310kph.

The power sensitivity is however lessened by the high concentration of low to medium speed bends in the back part of the circuit round the Marina. Turn 7, the hairpin, is the slowest of the circuit and similar to the challenges of the Grand Hairpin in Monaco. The engine braking needs to be particularly effective for rear stability on entrance, but equally the response needs to be completely correct as the hairpin exit leads onto the long back straight. Any hesitation will compromise the entry to the straight and therefore the overall lap time.

The third part of the track from turn 11 through to the final turn 21 features mainly right hand corners that are taken in second or third gear. The average speed through this section is just 160kph so the RS27 will be set up to give good driveability through this slower section whilst being responsive for the short bursts of power between turns.

Gear selection can be tricky round Abu Dhabi as the long straights require a high seventh gear ratio, but the right-hand corners require the gears to be closely spaced to achieve the required short bursts of acceleration between tight corners.

After the high levels of ambient dust in India, Abu Dhabi is another race where sand and other small dust particles can be ingested into the engine. The air filters designed by Renault Sport F1 should be beneficial in this respect as the abrasive sand can be filtered out without compromising performance.