Renault

Flavio Briatore believes Renault should be able to fight close behind the BMW Sauber team following the updates introduced in last week`s test at Barcelona.
The French squad have failed to show the kind of pace necessary to run near the front in the first three races of the season, but they are hopeful of a […]

Fernando Alonso has singled out four teams as potential alternatives to his current employer Renault for the 2009 season.Despite his past success for the French squad, the former champion has been disappointed by Renault`s performance so far this year, after returning from an ill-fated McLaren tenure in 2007.Alonso is now making no secret of his […]

Renault technical director Bob Bell believes that upgrades to the team`s R28 should provide a `big step forward` in pace for this weekend`s Spanish Grand Prix, despite Fernando Alonso playing down the progress last week.
The former world champions will introduce a host of revisions to their car for Barcelona, including improved aerodynamics and new suspension […]

Fernando Alonso
Fernando, Bahrain was a difficult race for you and the team. Was it the result you had expected?
FA: “The race was difficult, but we were prepared for that. Our qualifying performance had been a pleasant surprise, but we knew that our race pace would not allow us to achieve much better than tenth place, […]

Conducted and provided by the Renault press office
Bob Bell, Renault technical director, chassis
Bob, it has been three weeks since the Bahrain Grand Prix. What has been the agenda for the team over that period?
BB: “Our main focus was to prepare for the Barcelona test last week, which was very important for us as we have […]

Fernando, Bahrain was a difficult race for you and the team. Was it the result you had expected? Fernando Alonso: The race was difficult, but we were prepared for that. Our qualifying performance had been a pleasant surprise, but we knew that our race pace would not allow us to achieve much better than tenth […]

Bob, it has been three weeks since the Bahrain Grand Prix. What has been the agenda for the team over that period? Bob Bell, Chassis Technical Director: Our main focus was to prepare for the Barcelona test last week, which was very important for us as we have quite a major aerodynamic upgrade and some […]

If Renault thought that their 2007 trials would be long forgotten this season, they have been sorely disappointed. The French team have scored just six points so far, all courtesy of former world champion Fernando Alonso, whose return to the squad has been marred by the R28’s distinct lack of performance.
Renault technical director Bob Bell, […]

Fernando Alonso believes his Renault team have not made enough progress to leave the midfield group despite several updates being introduced in their R28 car this week.
The two-time champion and his team admitted before the Barcelona test that they were pinning their hopes for a better season on the developments tested this week at the […]

Fernando Alonso has poured cold water on hopes that Renault`s updated 2008 car could take a sizeable step forward at the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix.The former champion topped the timesheets at the Barcelona test on Wednesday, raising expectations that the R28`s new bodywork package - including the Red Bull-style dorsal fin - had moved the […]

Felipe Massa agrees that Renault seems to have taken a step forward at the Barcelona test.The Ferrari driver has also been running at the Circuit de Catalunya this week, where on Tuesday Fernando Alonso was at the controls of a visibly updated R28.Renault has endured an uncompetitive start to the 2008 season, but Alonso appears […]

The 2008 season could become a two-team battle to capture the services next year of former champion Fernando Alonso.The Spaniard signed a two-year contract to return to Renault this season, but - despite the hints and denials - it is strongly believed that Alonso can leave the French team at the end of 2008 if […]

Nelsinho Piquet is cautious about how much Renault can improve thanks to the new updates to be introduced this week, although the the Brazilian admitted the car is already better.
Renault, who have endured a difficult start to the season, are pinning their hopes for the year on all the improvements they will introduce in this […]

The Renault R28 quickly became one of the most photographed cars at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday morning, thanks to a revised aero package featuring a ‘shark fin’ extension on its engine cover.
The striking modification, which resembles a similar addition introduced by Red Bull to the RB4 back in March, is almost certainly aimed […]

Giancarlo Fisichella admits he is feeling vindicated now that Fernando Alonso has not managed to make Renault competitive again.
The French squad, world champions with Alonso in 2005 and 2006, endured a poor 2007 season and there were suggestions that it was related to Alonso`s exit from the team.
Fisichella`s contract was not renewed at the end […]

Giancarlo Fisichella is not upset that his former team, Renault, has struggled to shine so far in 2008.The Roman left the team at the end of a difficult 2007 campaign, following three consecutive seasons at the cockpit of an Enstone-built car.But with Nelson Piquet and Fernando Alonso now struggling for pace with the new R28, […]

Leading Renault engineer Dino Toso has been shuffled out of his position at the French Formula One team. With the title `director of aerodynamic technology`, Toso was promoted to lead the Enstone (UK) based team`s new CFD centre just last year. But in a communique to the press, Renault confirmed that head of aerodynamics Dirk […]

Renault’s engineering director Pat Symonds and technical director Bob Bell have spoken openly about the French team’s poor start to the season and outlined the areas in which the 2005 and ’06 world champions must improve if they are to catch their leading rivals.
At last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix Renault failed to score a point, […]

Renault technical director Bob Bell thinks the R28 needs a `tidal wave of change` if the team are to challenge the top three teams later this year.
The former world champions have had a fairly disappointing start to the season, with Fernando Alonso having been unable to finish near the front in the first three races […]

Renault have undertaken a minor restructuring of their technical department, with head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer taking over from Dino Toso as director of aerodynamic technology.
Toso remains an employee of the Renault team and no reason for the change of responsibilities has been specified by the team.
A statement from the Renault team said: “We […]

Renault is set to become the next Formula One team to turn to the powers of a supercomputer to help it move up the grid.It has emerged that Appro, a California-based company, has won a contract to supply a high-performance `Xtreme-X2` supercomputer to the French team`s new CFD (computational fluid dynamics) facility at Enstone in […]

Renault considers Robert Kubica to have been a driver with incredible potential that `got away` from the French team. Kubica, BMW-Sauber`s 22-year-old racer who in recent Grand Prix has been a regular occupier of the front row of the grid and the podium, was earlier in his career closely linked with Renault. As a teenager, […]

p class=”first”>Renault have assured Fernando Alonso there will be a big boost in his car`s performance at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Alonso came 10th at last week`s Bahrain Grand Prix, the latest disappointment in an underwhelming start to the season for the two-time world champion.
“We`re working on an updated aerodynamic package that`s going well,” said engineering […]

Former world champion Fernando Alonso has been promised a `lot` of improvement from his Renault at the Spanish Grand Prix, after a frustrating start to the season.
Alonso conceded that his team were not good enough in Bahrain, as he failed to finish in the points for the first time this season.
And although denying he was […]

Brazilian rookie Nelson Piquet drew strong support from his Renault Formula One team in Bahrain on Sunday despite having finished only one of his three races to date and scored no points.
“I think he has had a damn good start,” engineering head Pat Symonds told reporters at Sakhir. “It`s been rocky, but that only goes […]