Apr.7 (GMM) Renault's 2011 engine is helping customer teams to speed into dominance in the crucial area of aerodynamics, the French marque has claimed.

Supplying identical V8 power plants to the Red Bull, Renault and Lotus teams, Renault Sport F1 revealed in a statement that its engines burned "10 per cent more fuel than normal" in Melbourne two weeks ago.

Renault said its RS27 unit is "extremely good" in the area of fuel consumption, meaning that its drivers can run for longer during grands prix at full power.

That gives "more exhaust flow to its partners using the blown diffuser", the statement revealed.

Since blown diffusers emerged last year, F1's engine makers have been perfecting new engine maps that keep the exhaust gases flowing quickly in the corners even when the driver is not on the throttle.

"Simply put, the more fuel burned, the more exhaust is produced and potentially more downforce," said Renault.

In Melbourne, Renault-powered Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull won from pole, and he was joined on the podium by Vitaly Petrov.

"Renault remained in F1 to show its technical capabilities and high level of performance and this result completely justifies the board's decision," said Renault Sport F1 managing director Jean-Francois Caubet.

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