No gifts for forty-year-old Renault
The French team had to make do with Jolyon Palmer's eleventh-place finish, the British driver's best result of the season. Big disappointment for Nico Hülkenberg, whose gearbox failed on the sixteenth lap.
During this Monegasque weekend, the French team based in Enstone was celebrating a symbolic date. 40 years, 327 Grand Prix, and two constructor titles later, the brand with the diamond logo had enlivened the paddock. In association with the legendary Star Wars saga (the first installment also released in 1977), the Renault Sport Formula One Team was sporting special suits for the occasion, worn by its two drivers.
Earlier this weekend, the RS01 took to the track of the Principality, driven by the original driver, Jean-Pierre Jabouille. Alain Prost also participated in the show, aboard another legendary car, the RE40, from the 1983 season.
We’ve got the RS01 and Jean-Pierre Jabouille as well the RE 40 and @Prost_official! #MonacoGP #Renault40YearsF1 pic.twitter.com/zTVGs48QMT
— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 26 mai 2017
On the track in 2017, the strength was not entirely on the side of the men in yellow.
Starting sixteenth on the grid, Jolyon Palmer drove a careful race, unlike last season, which ended along the barrier before the first corner. After pitting on the 42nd lap for a new set of super-soft tires, the 2015 GP2 champion finished just one second and three-tenths short of scoring points. Despite the disappointment of such a frustrating position, the driver with number 30 seemed satisfied with his day.
« I am happy with my race, no mistakes. I enjoyed it, driving the car in Monaco for 78 laps was a great thing. The tires held up well, so I was able to push the whole race! It’s very hard to overtake here, starting sixteenth and finishing eleventh, one second away from the first points of the year, is a good thing!
We must take advantage of this result for the next race in Canada.
Starting higher on the grid (10th), Nico Hülkenberg had every chance to carry the Renault flag to the top. Unfortunately, his gearbox gave out as early as lap 16. After maintaining his position at the start, points were therefore perfectly achievable for the former Force India driver.
« I think a few points were possible today. We were comfortably in tenth place. There was potential for a good result: ninth or even eighth place was possible. It was quite sudden. I saw smoke coming from the back, and the team then told me to stop the car. For a driver, it’s obviously disappointing, but it shouldn’t distract us from our potential. We’ll come back strong in Montreal! »
And it will be necessary! The Renault Sport Formula One Team is now joined in seventh place in the constructors’ standings by the Haas team, with both teams having fourteen points. The question now is which driver duo will be used, as rumors of Jolyon Palmer’s replacement have become quite insistent in the Principality…
