Renault moves forward

Renault F1 Team, at the start of the 2010 season, will no longer have much in common with the team at the start of the 2009 season: goodbye Fernando Alonso, left for Ferrari ; farewell Nelson Piquet Jr, ousted by Flavio Briatore; farewell Flavio Briatore, sacrificed by the Piquets on the altar of vengeance: farewell Pat Symonds, collateral victim of the Briatore-Piquet war arbitrated by the FIA; farewell ING Direct, sponsor who preferred to abandon the boat when it was rocking too hard. After months of controversy and difficulties, Renault F1 Team will be able to turn the page on this very difficult 2009 season after Abu Dhabi.

The Franco-British team, replacing Fernando Alonso, recruited Robert Kubica, a driver who has proven himself at BMW Sauber and who will be the spearhead of Renault from 2010. For Bob Bell, new team manager since the departure of Flavio Briatore, the Pole will be able to forget the double world champion. The Briton says he is convinced that the 2005 Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion is of the same caliber as the driver he succeeds.

In terms of sponsorship, things are improving. The day after the FIA's decision to suspend Pat Symonds and Flavio Briatore, Mutua Madrilena withdrew from its partnership with the team. As for the main sponsor, ING Direct, whose contract with Renault ended at the end of 2009, the decision was taken to withdraw immediately following the sanctions imposed by the FIA. But this week, Renault recorded two good news.

First of all, the team recorded the arrival of a new sponsor from next season and for three years, TW Steel. The TW Steel logo will even be present on the nose, the front wing flaps, as well as the sidepods of the R29 from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. From 2010, this logo will also be present on the timing screens as well as on the team uniforms and driver suits. In addition, Altran, already involved alongside the Franco-British team as a technical partner, has confirmed its support for Renault F1 Team and will see the company's name affixed to the front wing of the R29 in Abu Dhabi. The Grand Prix will therefore mark the end of an era for Renault, but also the beginning of a new era. An era where sporting results must take precedence over extra-sporting matters.