Renault does not put pressure on itself

Renault Sport F1 Team carried out productive winter testing at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona enjoying good reliability. After taking over Lotus F1 Team at the end of the year, the French manufacturer had to rush through the development of the RS 16. The performance of the car tricolor will not allow him to aim for the outposts on a regular basis, but the personnel ofenstone Allow yourself time to evolve.

“We have all the ingredients to build a promising future. At Enstone as at Viry, we know how to build cars that win”, commented Cyril Abiteboul, the general director of Renault Sport F1 Team. “Podiums will not necessarily be on the menu this season, we would probably need a combination of circumstances to achieve it. But we should fight for points during the year. Our main objective remains to lay the foundations for 2017.”

Patience is also required for Frédéric Vasseur, the competition director. “We know very well that we started this project extremely late. Our objectives are ambitious, but we do not yet have the pressure of results. The roadmap set by Carlos Ghosn (the CEO of Renault-Nissan) is very clear: we must be able to fight for podiums in our third season., recalled the owner of ART Grand Prix.

“Before that, we need to make wise decisions, rather than rushing to deliver a performance in Melbourne. If we want to follow this roadmap and regularly aim for the podium in three years, we must observe our opponents by studying their resources and their personnel. Then, you have to set the same objectives to compete with them”, added Frédéric Vasseur.

The starting drivers nevertheless hope to be able to regularly finish in the points in order to stand out. “We have a good starting point”, assured Kevin Magnussen. “We are not fully satisfied with the performance, but we are confident in what we have achieved in such a short time. However, we know we can do better. We don't have the best powertrain or the best car yet, but we know how to improve. »

“I love Melbourne. In 2014, everything started like a dream with a podium. But when I came back last year, it wasn't as good as the first time! Hopefully I can finish the race this year and score some points. It's my aim. If Jolyon (Palmer) and I finished in the top 10, it would be a huge success”, added the former resident of McLaren.