Renault before Silverstone: “The signs indicate that we are heading in the right direction”

Team Renault does not hide his affection for the Silverstone circuit (Great Britain). The British track hosted the very first Grand Prix in the history of the F1 in May 1950 and has kept its character as a formidable track despite numerous developments over the decades. 

“Silverstone is a really enjoyable circuitdeclares Esteban Ocon. Driving an F1 car, any series of fast corners is a fantastic experience and this is the case everywhere at Silverstone. We all talk about Maggots and Becketts, but they're even more fun in a modern car. It's simply brilliant. 

Every lap is a challenge, but it’s a track where a lot depends on the driver. You have to negotiate each turn perfectly and keep your pace throughout the entire lap. There are also overtaking opportunities, so I'm sure we will see some great battles and the aim will be to fight for points. »

His teammate Daniel Ricciardo has a weakness for Silverstone, and for good reason: that’s where he started in F1 with the modest HRT structure. “I love racing at Silverstone. It’s a circuit that is close to my heart since I competed there in my first F1 Grand Prix in 2011. It seems so long ago now, but I remember it well. 

Silverstone offers an excellent layout, quite epic at full power with its fluid sequences. It's extremely fast from start to finish and you have to be quite brave and hold on to the steering wheel in certain places. We all love Maggots and Becketts, two of the best corners on the calendar, as they provide so much fun. »

The Technical Director of the Jaunes-et-Noirs, Pat Fry, also has his little comment on the 5,891 km long track. According to him, we will really know which single-seaters are performing well this year thanks to this justice of the peace.

“Silverstone is a mix of medium and high speed corners. The oldest part is fantastic, especially the sequence between Maggots, Becketts and Chapel. This is a great plot to highlight potential performance issues with a car and identify what is working and what isn't. It requires a certain degree of efficiency in the car and it is also a motor type circuit. 

The last race in Hungary was extreme in the sense that the downforce was maximum. However, Silverstone requires more efficiency in fast corners. In the past our car was not suited to this type of track, but the signs are that we are going in the right direction this year. »

In the Manufacturers' ranking, the Losange is in sixth place with 12 points after three events.