Frederic Vasseur has questioned claims Renault's Formula 1 power unit is up to 30bhp down on rival suppliers as he supported Toto Wolff's opposition to Balance of Performance.
At the Belgian Grand Prix meeting of the F1 Commission, parity between the power unit manufacturers was discussed with RacingNews365 understanding the Renault unit in the back of the Alpine could be up to 30bhp down on the Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Powertrains/Honda offerings.
Performance development has been banned since the start of 2022, meaning it is locked in until the end of 2025, but a mechanism was agreed whereby if one supplier fell 3% below the rest in terms of performance, remedies would be discussed.
However, Wolff has expressed his vehement opposition to Balance of Performance (BoP) being introduced, something Vasseur agrees with.
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Vasseur rules of BoP
"It is true that when we decided to freeze the engine, we would consider that in exceptional circumstances, we could try to find a way to support the guys that would be completely out of the range [of the other manufacturers," Vasseur told media including RacingNews365.
"[But] I am not sure that Renault is so far away that we don't have the same numbers.
"As for Renault, it is the first time my engineers are pessimistic compared to the other [suppliers].
"If we have to do something, it can't be a [restriction] of fuel flow. We have the same approach with the wind-tunnel allocation that the guy is P10 has more time in the wind-tunnel. It is not that he has 10 kilos less [of weight.]
"You should allow the team and the PU manufacturer to develop.
"You don't give them an advantage - it would be the start of Balance of Performance."
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