Why Renault will have to look back rather than attack McLaren

The new Formula 1 cars will be presented in the coming week, and that can mean only one thing. The winter testing is just around the corner as we prepared for another trip around the globe. But can Renault play a significant role in 2020?

After having been active in the royal class of motorsport for a few years without a factory team, they started a comeback. Renault returned in 2016 and they achieved ninth place in the world championship. A sixth, fourth and fifth place followed. A slightly rising line, but the top three were always far out of sight.

After some start-up problems, Renault has become a stable sub-topper in the last two years, but the Cyril Abiteboul team wants more. The world title is the goal, but Renault has already given up that hope for 2020. The focus of the yellow racing stable is in fact entirely on 2021, the moment that the new regulations are introduced.

Don't miss Renault 2020?

Abiteboul just doesn't want to say it out loud, but actually, the coming season is an 'in-between year': “We have to find a balance between 2020 and 2021,” said the Frenchman. It seems that there has been a lot of hard work on the car for 2021 in recent months and that compared to recent years there has been less attention for the car that we will see in Barcelona in two weeks.

This is evident from the following statement by Abiteboul: “I do not think that a team is as advanced as we are for 2021 . But I don't want 2021 to be an excuse if we have a moderate season in 2020 ”, he is clear. The distribution of priorities is therefore clear.

The goal for the coming year is to defeat McLaren and take fourth place in the constructors' championship. This provides important extra prize money, money that Renault can use on its way to their first world title since they returned. 

McLaren at a disadvantage

The McLaren of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz run on Renault engines, so the only thing the French have to do to achieve their goal is to build a better chassis. Renault has a big advantage in that respect because it is very important when developing a car that the engine can be well integrated into the chassis. Because Renault makes the engine itself, they have an advantage, since they can adjust the design of the engine precisely to the chassis (and vice versa). McLaren has to wait and see what will be delivered and will only be able to adjust the MCL36 at a later stage.

In 2019, despite this advantage, Renault failed flagrantly. McLaren scored no less than 54 points and that meant the end of Nick Chester at Renault. The chief designer had to pack his bags. It was not said by the French in so many words, but the disappointing results and the problems with the chassis were probably the cause. The successor to Chester is said to be someone within their own ranks. A top designer from outside did not arrive. From an organizational point of view, Pat Fry, as technical director, has to take care of the necessary rest, which may also be reflected in the performance on the asphalt.

Competition is in the neck

The top three are out of sight, and because McLaren seems to be investing more in 2020, it seems to be a difficult story for Renault. A fifth place seems to be the maximum attainable. Beyond that, it must even watch out for Racing Point and AlphaTauri, among others, as team boss Franz Tost has already indicated that Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat will come with a ruined RB15 and that the goal of the Faenza-based team is a top-five place and beating Renault .

This article first appeared on GPBlog.com/nl. Written by Corwin Art.