Renault, the engine supplier to three teams in this seasons Formula 1 grid may seek a reliability break from the FIA once the 2014 season gets underway.

Although final engine specifications have to be locked in by teams to the FIA before 28 February,  Appendix 4 of the F1 sporting regulations doesn’t make provision for Renault to make changes to the engines for reliability, safety or cost saving reasons.

The issues with the Renault engines started at the Jerez test where Red Bull Racing did not run their car for as many laps as the other teams due to power store problems with the Renault engine. When they did manage to get the car on the track it broke down a few metres down the track or even in the pit lane. There was some running by Red Bull but not enough for them to call it a successful test as evidenced by the fact that they started packing up early on the final day of the Jerez test.

Head of Track operations at Renault, Remi Taffin, thinks that all three engine manufacturers will have to make the same application to the FIA at some point during the season due to the complexities of the power units. Although admitting to some reliability issues with the Renault engine, Taffin insists that the engines are reliable and that there aren’t any major issues with the engine. The only issue they have at the moment is making everything work together.

“Where we are struggling is where we put everything into the car and have to get the most out of it. Because we are struggling to make everything work together, we have not actually got the performance we have from each [individual] component in terms of level of competitiveness.”

Talking to Autosport Taffin said that the problems look far worse on the outside than what they actually are.