The Renault R.S.17 Formula 1 Car
After a bit of break, Renault returned to Formula 1 last year. While the French car giant didn’t have huge success in its first year back, the 2016 season allowed the team at Renault Sport the opportunity to go back to the drawing board and come back faster, stronger and with something to prove. With a rich history of Formula 1 racing, Renault has come back this year to take the F1 circuit head on. High speed, high octane and high drama have already been the orders of the day, and we’re only four races in!
The Car
Sporting the traditional yellow and black, this year Renault’s F1 contender is the all new R17 – a force to be reckoned with. Having spent much of 2016 regrouping, reimagining and reconfiguring their F1 racer this year the French car company revealed a faster and slicker R17. Powered by a new RE17 engine and thanks to the reshaped rear wing, thumb-tip nose and shark fin that have all be introduced into the new design, this car looks set to fly.
The Team
Driver #27: Nico Hulkenberg, the 29 year old German, made his debut for Renault at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Having first hit the F1 scene in2010, and winning at Le Mans in 2015, his track record is very impressive and includes titles in Formula BMW, A1GP and the GP2 Series. He has competed in 115 Grands Prix, achieving pole position once.
Driver #30: The 26 year old, British born Joylon Palmer began the 2017 season on the tail of a triumphant rookie year in 2016. This year will be his third year driving for Renault, who saw his potential after he won the 2104 GP2 Series – only the second Brit to do so since it was won by Lewis Hamilton in 2006. He has started in 20 Grands Prix, and looks set to cause quite a stir this year.
The Races
With four races under the belt, the 2017 Formula 1 Grand Prix season is well and truly underway, and it’s been one heck of a ride so far.
Australian Grand Prix – 26 March: Nico Hulkenberg placed 11th and Joylon Palmer had to retire after 15 laps.
Chinese Grand Prix – 9 April: Hulkenberg and Palmer placed 12th and 13th respectively.
Bahrain Grand Prix -16 April: Hulkenberg improved his placing by coming in 9th, while Palmer came in at 13th again.
Russian Grand Prix – 30 April: Hulkenberg moved further up the ranks by crossing the finish as the 9th driver, while Palmer was forced to retire after a collision with Haas driver Romain Grosjean at the second turn near to the start of the race.
Spanish Grand Prix – 14 May: Hulkenberg made new ground by being the sixth driver to cross the line, once again improving his previous placing. Palmer finished 15th, having had a good race with no incidents to report.
Constructors Placing
Renault is currently standing at 8th place, but it’s early days yet!
There is still a long way to go, but if Hulkenberg continues to improve at the rate he is, Renault looks in good stead to cause a real upset on the track.
