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    •  December 16, 2016

    Renault Expect to be in the Thick of it Next Season

    December 16, 2016
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Author Signature
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Contributor
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Contributor
    Author Signature

    Renault have acknowledged that their reintroduction to Formula One in 2016 has set the foundation for a much stronger performance next season.

    Renault Sport Racing Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul assessed the season with,

    “2016 was always about laying the foundations for the future as we are committed to Formula 1 for the long haul. Our 2016 car, the R.S.16, was conceived in an unbelievably short timeframe – literally a couple of weeks – so our focus for this year has been on expansion of headcount and infrastructure and looking to next year and beyond.

    One of our most tangible successes in 2016 has been the performance and reliability improvements of our power unit and the confirmation of long-term supply contracts with both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso is the strongest illustration of this improvement.”

    – Cyril Abiteboul

    SUZUKA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 07: Jolyon Palmer of Great Britain driving the (30) Renault Sport Formula One Team Renault RS16 Renault RE16 turbo on track during practice for the Formula One Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on October 7, 2016 in Suzuka. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
    SUZUKA, JAPAN – OCTOBER 07: Jolyon Palmer of Great Britain driving the (30) Renault Sport Formula One Team Renault RS16 Renault RE16 turbo on track during practice for the Formula One Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on October 7, 2016 in Suzuka. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

    Renault are only one of three works teams alongside Mercedes and Ferrari and with a better timeframe for preparation, believe that competitiveness will come in 2017 thank to a fully-developed car and a strong driver line-up. Team Principal Fred Vasseur said,

    “Our driver line-up for 2017 shows our intent and aspirations. Nico comes to the team at a perfect time for both us and him. He has experience of working with different teams, including those we expect to be our rivals next season. As well as a significant amount of experience, he has youth and hunger on his side. He has been a driver hungry for the right opportunity to help build a team and we are that team. It’s a perfect match.

    Jolyon has shown great development over the course of his rookie season with us, combined with his motivating approach and team spirit, and we feel we have a very good driver line-up for what we want to achieve in 2017.

    2017 is a fantastic opportunity for us to take a significant step forward for many reasons. The change of regulations could mean quite a shake-up in the order of relative competitiveness, plus the fruits of our expansion will be ramping up. We made an early start to developing next year’s car with this in mind.

    Whilst 2017 should see a good step forward, we are realistic in our expectations as we know that we won’t leapfrog the midfield in a single season. However we are all pushing for a big improvement in competitiveness.”

    – Fred Vasseur

    MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Valtteri Bottas of Finland drives the (77) Williams Martini Racing Williams FW38 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo with Jolyon Palmer of Great Britain drives the (30) Renault Sport Formula One Team Renault RS16 Renault RE16 turbo, Jenson Button of Great Britain drives the (22) McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team McLaren MP4-31 Honda RA616H Hybrid turbo, and Sergio Perez of Mexico drives the (11) Sahara Force India F1 Team VJM09 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo behind on track during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 20, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
    MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 20: Valtteri Bottas of Finland drives the (77) Williams Martini Racing Williams FW38 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo with Jolyon Palmer of Great Britain drives the (30) Renault Sport Formula One Team Renault RS16 Renault RE16 turbo, Jenson Button of Great Britain drives the (22) McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team McLaren MP4-31 Honda RA616H Hybrid turbo, and Sergio Perez of Mexico drives the (11) Sahara Force India F1 Team VJM09 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo behind on track during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 20, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

    The yellow-liveried French team will be expecting to score points more often than not and can’t afford another season of struggling towards the back of the midfield. Last time Renault were fully involved as a team in Formula One, three-season’s of regular points finishes were followed by Fernando Alonso’s two Championship-winning season’s.

     

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