Renault became the first Formula 1 team to launch their 2016 challenger at a special media event in Paris.
The French manufacturer is returning to the sport as a works outfit, taking over Lotus and being rebranded as Renault Sport Formula 1.
Renault Group CEO Carlos Ghosn spoke about the goals for the upcoming season and beyond, with regular podium finishes a few years away.
“2016 will be a very specific year because we have to set back all the organisation that used to be,” he explained.
“Renault has been involved in the supply of engine only, not being a team, and now we have to reconcile and set up the new organisation between Enstone in the UK and Viry in France and to make this organisation work more efficiently and having the synergy of both organisations.”
“At the end of the day [we have] to prepare the roadmap that we have in mind which is to be in the podium after three or four years. So 2016 will be a year of transition where we have to prepare our future.”
As for the look of the RS16, the all-black (with a splash of yellow) seems very basic for the livery. It’s very similar to the colour scheme of Lotus last season but Renault has hinted it may change by the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
In terms of the drivers, Kevin Magnussen is back in Formula 1 in a full-time position. He will join alongside the former GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer, while Esteban Ocon is in the reserve role.
K-Mag was a late replacement for Pastor Maldonado after his sponsor PDVSA tore up the contract it had signed following a dispute with Renault.
ART Grand Prix boss Frederic Vasseur was named as racing director while Cyril Abiteboul is managing director and Bob Bell becomes chief technical officer.
So a fresh line-up of talented drivers, a new rebranded outfit and achievable targets for the next few years. I wish the very best of luck to Team Enstone.
UPDATE: This is the proper 2016-spec Formula 1 car from Renault Sport, the RS16. Team Enstone’s latest model was unveiled to the media on the first official day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The car is closely based on the design the team used last year, when it was Lotus, with alterations at the rear to accommodate a Renault power unit instead of a Mercedes.
This has resulted in “major changes are at the back of the chassis” according to technical director Nick Chester, “particularly how we have laid out the cooling system.”
The improvements in engineering will play a big factor in performance. With a new driver line-up and a manufacturing backing, Renault Sport are looking for a competitive season. Best of luck to Enstone-based outfit.
News stories on the Renault RS16 launch:
http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2016/2/f1-renault-no-miracles-2016.html
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/02/03/f3-and-gp3-champion-ocon-becomes-renault-reserve/
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122682
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/35482377
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12040/10154227/renault-launch-2016-car-with-kevin-magnussen-alongside-jolyon-palmer
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/29871/10154161/kevin-magnussen-says-he-returns-to-f1-ready-to-prove-a-point
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/10154497/renault-set-three-year-target-to-return-to-f1-podium
News story of the Renault 2016 launch, courtesy from Formula1.com.
Renault have confirmed that Kevin Magnussen will help spearhead their return to Formula One racing as a full works team in 2016, as well as revealing their new car for the forthcoming season.
Magnussen, who replaces the outgoing Pastor Maldonado, will race alongside Jolyon Palmer at the rebranded Renault Sport F1 Team, with GP3 racewinner Esteban Ocon joining as third and reserve driver.
In a ceremony streamed live from the French manufacturer’s technocentre in Paris, Renault also became the first team to take the covers off their 2016 challenger, the R.S.16.
The new car, which was manufactured at the team’s Enstone base, features a predominantly black livery, though Renault Sport chief Jerome Stoll hinted the colour scheme could change ahead of the 2016 season opener in Australia.
The car will be powered by Renault’s R.E.16 power unit, which will continue to be developed in Viry-Châtillon.
Alongside Magnussen and Ocon, Renault also confirmed that Bob Bell will return to Enstone as chief technical officer, with Nick Chester becoming the chassis technical director and Remi Taffin the engine technical director.
Cyril Abiteboul, managing director of Renault’s racing group, said the trio would help Renault hit the ground running in 2016.
“The ambition is not just to participate: we have no intention just to make up the numbers,” Abiteboul said. “We are here to win. We have won in every category, there is no reason we cannot repeat that in F1. We know the way.”
Newly appointed racing director Frédéric Vasseur, who will report to Abiteboul, added: “Renault have proven in the past they can achieve and do it. Motorsport is a part of the DNA of Renault, and the motivation is more than high. We have a new challenge in front of us, and we are determined. For everybody – the drivers, the team, the engineers – the group is behind us and we have their full support.”
Renault also announced the launch of a new driver academy, created with the aim of nurturing future F1 stars. The French manufacturer has a strong pedigree of driver development, having nurtured the likes of Robert Kubica, Heikki Kovalainen and Romain Grosjean in recent years. Formula Renault 3.5 champion Oliver Rowland is among the first wave of new inductees.
Kevin Magnussen is excited to be part of Renault Sport F1 and has admitted that a year spent on the sidelines has boosted his motivation. Formula1.com reports:
New Renault signing Kevin Magnussen says that the year he spent on the sidelines after losing his McLaren race seat has made him extra hungry to succeed on his return to the F1 grid in 2016.
The Dane, who was confirmed as Pastor Maldonado’s replacement alongside Jolyon Palmer on Wednesday, scored 55 points and a debut podium in his maiden season of F1 racing in 2014 but was relegated to reserve driver status for 2015 as McLaren drafted in Fernando Alonso to partner Jenson Button.
“I had a season in 2014 with McLaren and I felt it went quite well pitched against a past world champion,” said Magnussen, who was released from the Woking team in October. “To be replaced the following year was tough even if the line-up the team used was very strong. I had been racing every year since I was six so to sit to the side certainly wasn’t part of my plan.
“Hopefully I’ll prove many points [in 2016]. I’m extremely motivated after a whole year away. I’ve been sitting on the sideline during the races for so many weekends and I’m hungry to come back and prove my worth.”
Despite not racing since a one-off appearance in place of Alonso at last year’s season-opener in Australia, Magnussen says he does not expect to be at a disadvantage heading into the forthcoming campaign.
“Without racing last year I actually had more time to train and I feel very fit because of that,” he explained. “I’m physically ready. I’ve not had a lot of time in a race car but the time I had, I felt good. I was always surprised at how quickly I re-adapted to driving after time out of the car. I was pretty much immediately on the pace when I tested the Porsche Le Mans car (in November) and I’ve been on it whenever I’ve been in an F1 car. I’m ready.”
Consistent Renault challenge could take three years, according to Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn. Autosport.com has the details.
Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn concedes it will take the French manufacturer’s works outfit two to three years to regularly challenge for a Formula 1 podium.
After months of protracted negotiations, Renault finally completed its takeover of Lotus in December, making a return as a fully fledged manufacturer for the first time since 2011.
On Wednesday, the team to be known as Renault Sport F1 became the first to launch its 2016 challenger in a black and yellow livery – which is expected to become significantly more yellow for Melbourne – at an unveil in Paris.
As Lotus, the team scored one shock podium in Belgium last term on its way to sixth in the constructors’ championship but Renault’s power unit, supplied to Red Bull and Toro Rosso, was woefully off the pace.
“We know it’s going to be tough,” said Ghosn. “We’re competing against some top teams.
“It’s going to take two or three years to be back in solid way for the podium.
“We are working a lot on the engine and we recognise we are starting with a handicap, compared particularly to the winner.
“But we think we have talent, willingness and experience in order to close the gap.
“We are not here to participate, we are here to compete at the highest level and eventually win.
“We want to get to the point where every time a race starts, Renault is a contender – that is our objective.
“It won’t happen in 2016, that would be a miracle, but I’m counting on the team to make improvements to the engine, car, technology to come forward with a competitive car as soon as possible.”
Explaining Renault’s decision to return as a full works team, Ghosn said it came down to how Renault wanted to be viewed as a brand.
“We know very well, when a team wins it is the car and when loses it’s engine – it is a well known thing,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean we have been perfect. It is one reason why we say, in order to get the best out of f1, we have to be a full works team.”
News story on the RS16:
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/renault-launches-new-rs16-674833/?tm=182&tmm=1
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/new-renault-an-evolution-of-last-year-s-lotus-674896/?tm=182&tmm=1
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/02/22/renault-rs16-first-pictures-revealed/
Social media:
https://twitter.com/RenaultSportF1
https://www.facebook.com/renaultsport/