Formula 1: Renault is Back
In December 2015 Renault officially announced that it was making a return to Formula 1 racing. The announcement came as the French car giants put in place an insolvency plan to take over four time F1 winner, Lotus.
Following that announcement, Renault has recently revealed their next step on the road to motorsport racing domination. In a press conference Groupe Renault’s Chairman and CEO, Carlos Ghosn, described Renault’s new plans in the auto racing arena.
There will be two divisions in Renault Sport:
- Renault Sport Racing
- Renault Sport Cars
Renault Sport Racing has been designated all R activities. This will not only include the Renault Sport F1 team, but also Renault e.dams, Formula Renault 2.0, the Renault Sport RS01 Trophy and all additional customer racing and rallying. Renault Sport Racing will cover all events and operations at the two motorsport locations, namely Enstone in England and Viry-Chatillon in France.
Renault Sport Cars will run the development and transfer from race arena to commercial one for the range of Renault sport vehicles. Renault already boasts an impressive range of sporty hatchbacks and GTs, including the Renault Clio RS, Megane RS and the Megane GT.
These two entities will work together in a symbiotic relationship between technical and commercial elements to create vehicles that translate from the race track to the road. The ethos behind this synergy was perfectly noted by CEO Ghosn:
“Motorsports still sparks the imagination of both enthusiast and everyday drivers, and we are putting a comprehensive program in place. Formula 1 is a big part of our efforts to boost awareness of Renault, particularly in markets where Renault is a newcomer, and will enhance the transfer of technologies from the track to our roads.”
At the centre of Renault’s racing arsenal is its newly acquired F1 operation. The car has been developed with all the resources and technologies available to the French company, and with a precious track record that spans back as far as 1977, Renault are by no means the new kid on the block. The vehicle is made up of the RS16 chassis and the RE16 power unit, developed and produced in Enstone and Viry-Chatillon respectively. Its racing colours are the black and yellow traditionally used by Renault, and are reminiscent of the black and gold sported by Lotus. Other partners include Nissan’s Infniti brand, Mircosoft, EMC and Total, all of whom have long standing relationships with Renault and Lotus. Among the new partners are watchmakers Bell & Ross, sound experts Devialet and clothing specialists Bestseller. Renault will continue its long standing relationship with Gravity Motor Sport, which is subsidiary of Genii Capital who are shareholders in Renault’s F1 program.
The F1 team will be made up of the following players:
- Chief Technical Officer – Bob Bell
- Chassis Technical Director – Nick Chester
- Engine Technical Director – Remi Taffin
- Team Drivers – Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer, with Esteban Ocon in reserve
Renault are all set to start the season with a bang, and will hopefully be in poll position for a podium place this year. Watch this space for further updates.
