Renault: Managing the present and the future

The Renault F1 Team has just announced its intention to introduce its own version of the F-Duct at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps on the 27th, 28th, and 29th of August.

The French team is currently the only team in the top 5 that has not yet implemented the aerodynamic device envisioned by McLaren. The team’s boss, Eric Boullier, hopes that Renault will be able to provide this technical solution by Spa: « We have a two-part F-Duct that will arrive shortly… It mainly depends on the schedule; indeed, Budapest is a track that requires a lot of downforce, so we won’t need it there. We might have it before then, but most likely just after. »

The race chief engineer, Alan Permane, defended the team’s decision to delay the development of the F-Duct even though the competition has advanced on this technical aspect of the cars: «We focused on many other details and added a lot of downforce to the car, so I still think it was the right strategic decision not to immediately follow the teams that opted for a quick introduction of the F-Duct.»

Permane still admits that Renault has fallen behind Mercedes and believes that the F-Duct will help the team in the great challenge of gaining fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship. He states: “We have to fight with Ferrari and Mercedes. In reality, we are just behind that group at the moment. We had a slight lead over Mercedes, but they did a very good job, they were very fast at Silverstone, and they are ahead of us again now.” He adds: “We need a bit more performance and with our F-Duct it should help us. Certainly, it won’t be for the next two races, but we know it’s the only thing we’re missing compared to our immediate rivals.”

He concludes:

Honestly, I think that so far, we have overperformed. We have gotten the most out of the car and seized all the opportunities that have come up during the races, and I hope we can continue to do that for the rest of the year. Unable to win races, our goal is to beat Mercedes to be fourth in the constructors’ world championship as soon as possible.

If the technical aspect is a constant concern within the Renault F1 Team, the role of the people is an equally essential element for the smooth operation of the team. That’s why Robert Kubica’s contract has been extended, and for two seasons. In this summer period where rumors are rampant, the lack of a decision regarding the future of the second driver, Vitaly Petrov, is already the source of much speculation. For many, Kimi Räikkönen would already be ready to fit his seat for the next season. It is said that his new career in WRC is already boring him. Wouldn’t an F1 world champion still hold a certain value in the paddock?

However, for Eric Boullier, all these stories are just noise; he himself is satisfied with Petrov’s performances and believes that, to date, the young Russian driver is the best rookie of the season. He nonetheless wants to see an improvement in the race consistency of his protégé in order to help Renault beat Mercedes for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Boullier is clear: His future is in his hands…. We have not been disappointed by him, he is clearly the best rookie in the paddock.

He adds: At times he has done very good work, he has even been surprising, but there is clearly a lack of coherence today to obtain the points he deserves. We clearly need to have both our cars in the points, so it’s obvious that this can create rumors…. But we are all behind Vitaly. We are happy to have him on board and we will do everything we can to help him get through this stage so that he is where we need him to be.

It should be noted that Renault is 37 points behind Mercedes, and Kubica has scored 83 of the team’s 89 points so far.

All these statements do not mention the internal decision made at Renault to give an ultimatum to Petrov. Indeed, the young Russian driver would have until the Budapest Grand Prix to prove that he can secure points for the team.

Between promoting a Russian driver to better target the automotive market in his country and having a homogeneous lineup of drivers to sustain the results of an F1 team, Renault is faced with a difficult choice.

But how could a team like Renault refuse the contribution of a world champion driver?

Kubica-Räikkönen, there’s an association that, with a high-performing car, could compete with the best duos on the grid.