Renault gets closer to the top 4 teams

Second in qualifying, third in the race, Robert Kubica once again displayed all his talent in the streets of the principality of Monaco, at the same time offering Renault his second podium this season, and this one owes nothing to chance.

“We had already been on the podium a little earlier in the year, in Australia, but it was obtained in special conditions and thanks to exceptional driving from Robert, declares the team's Technical Director James Allison. In Monaco, the car was competitive all weekend, and Robert was certainly faster than Hag race. And that?s a very pleasant feeling. Barcelona and Monaco are two tracks with very different philosophies. Monaco is a circuit where the driver can make the difference and Robert, in particular, was in dazzling form throughout the weekend. Even if aero performance is still very important, Monaco is a circuit where a good mechanical package can play an even more decisive role than elsewhere, and we believe that the R30 is particularly strong in this area.

Race after race, the Renault R30 progresses and seems to be getting closer to its rivals. And even if the Monegasque route remains very specific, Éric Boullier and his men can see the future with optimism.

“We are six races into this season and we have made significant progress with the car, Allison continues. Each round had its little improvement. Even in Spain, where we probably had one of our worst finishes this season, we could see that we were closer to our competitors. It?s very encouraging to see our performances improve race after race. We have made an important evolution in each event, and we want to do the same in each round this year. There are also one or two projects that could allow us to take an even more important step.”

Since the winter tests, everyone has been talking about the top four teams on one side, and the rest of the field on the other. Currently, Renault is somewhere between the two. Not yet at the level of Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari et Mercedes, but each confrontation shows that the French team is getting closer. And the connection with the leaders of the discipline could well be made more quickly than expected.