General
No engine upgrades for Ferrari and Renault in 2020: "We had to weigh it up".
For next season there will be no development of the Renault engine, Cyril Abiteboul says. They haven't brought a new engine to Austria and they don't plan to introduce new engine specifications during the season. Also Ferrari hasn't introduced a new engine for Spielberg and due to the temporary rules around freezing of parts, there will be no development for both engine manufacturers in 2020.
“[There have been] some trade-offs and some sacrifices that we’ve made in order to manage a crisis that’s been extremely severe,” Renault's team boss told Motorsport.com. “We are talking about a very large reduction of the prize fund. We also are having discussions with sponsors that have been very loyal, but that are all facing challenges in their own businesses.
Decision to discontinue development
“We had to come up with some decisions, and one of those decisions is that we’re going to pause engine development, focusing on what will be the next step that we will have the opportunity to discuss later. That means don’t expect any engine upgrades for us this year.” However, Honda and Mercedes have chosen to bring a new engine to Austria. Mercedes opted for this because the new engine is more reliable, while Honda also made development on the performance side of the engine.
"I think the engine has made good progress, I think it’s well-recognised and accepted. We now need to focus on the car, and that’s also part of what we are doing now with the decision we have taken in terms of financial trade-off for the future.
“I am feeling pressure, but equally, I’m feeling also confident about this year, and the ones to come after that.” Abiteboul said.