The manufacturer currently supplies Red Bull, Lotus, Toro Rosso and Caterham,
and admit they remain behind their competitors.
“We are still a bit behind schedule but we are where we would normally be
at the first test,” Taffin said.
“The question is the same as it is for all the manufacturers: where will
we be on performance? [at the first race in Melbourne] We will see.”
If there is a repeat of the incidents that unfolded in Jerez then Red Bull and
Vettel’s hopes of a fifth straight crown could be scuppered before the
season starts in Melbourne in four weeks’ time.
Taffin added: “There is development on the hardware and software. It’s
not a fatality, but that’s where we are.
“We are trying do everything at the same time, but then sometimes we have
to prioritise so it’s not easy to have everything altogether at once.”
The suggestion is the various components within the power unit are so
complicated they are not ‘talking to one another’ via the software.
“It’s not a communication problem. It’s how you make them work together,”
added Taffin.
“It’s not like one is not talking to the other, it’s basically the
language they use.
“We have to get this working, and what we hope to achieve on the first
day in Bahrain.
“If the work we have done recently is okay, which we think it is, then we
should see the difference in Bahrain, with cars out on track, which will
mean we have solved the problem.”
With regard to Renault’s current level of competitiveness compared to Mercedes
and Ferrari, Taffin added: “We’re still behind schedule, but it’s not a
question of months.
“We are at least where we would have sought to be for the first test, so
maybe now we are three weeks behind, and now we are on a recovery plan.
“We’re now going to go into Bahrain with what we would have liked to have
finished the first test with.
“As for our rivals, let’s put it this way, they are probably four days
ahead of us as they had a proper test in Jerez, and we didn’t.”