Source: McLaren Media Centre

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Renault shocked by Alonso problem in Canada

Renault "shocked" by Alonso problem in Canada

17-06-2018 16:10
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Fernando Alonso just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but last weekend during the Canadian Grand Prix he didn't even finish the race, and Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul admits that he was shocked by that.

In the 39th lap in Montréal, Alonso's ERS just gave up, which forced him to retire (for the second race in a row). Cyril Abiteboul is the Renault team principal, which also makes him responsible for the engines of all of Renault's clients like McLaren. 

Abiteboul was shocked at first, but relieved that the problem eventually didn't have anything to do with the engine.

"That was good news, because of that the introduction of the B-spec was interesting in the first place," Abiteboul told Motorsport.

"We've seen that this spec is competitive when it comes to top speed, and also that it's a little step ahead of Honda."

What caused Alonso to retire wasn't the engine, but another part of the car that didn't have anything to do with the engine.