Full Throttle

Renault’s 2009 Formula One car has failed a mandatory crash test, reportedly the new cars launch will proceed as planned later this month, a team spokeswoman said on Friday.

The spokeswoman confirmed that the nose and side impact tests failed, but insisted that engineers know what went wrong and the issues have been solved - meaning the car should get the green light when it is re-tested.

“It is something not at all unusual,” said the spokeswoman. “However, we have identified the problem and solved it. The car will be testing in Algarve on January 19.”

Unconfirmed reports suggest the failures were the result of Renault being forced to press the margins of their design to the limit this year due to the extra weight that comes from the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS).