By Renault F1
July 13 2006

The official Renault F1 Team preview of the 2006 French GP. Interviews with key Renault F1 team personel ahead of this weekends home race at Magny-Cours where the team look to increase their lead in both the drivers and constructors championships The official Renault F1 Team preview of the 2006 French GP.


Renault celebrates 100 years of Grand Prix racing at Magny-Cours

Renault and the Renault F1 Team will celebrate Grand Prix racing’s centenary this weekend at the French Grand Prix. 100 years on from the first Renault-Michelin victory at the Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France in Le Mans, the entire team will be hoping to mark a centenary of success in 2006.

Much has changed since Ferenc Szisz crossed the finish line at Le Mans after more than 12 hours of racing to take the chequered flag – and the title of first Grand Prix winner. More significant than the changes, thought, are the similarities – as man and machine push themselves to the limits to demonstrate sporting and technical excellence on circuits across the globe.

Every Renault victory is drawn from, and enriches, a motorsport DNA that runs right back to its source: the ingenuity and competitive drive of brothers Louis and Marcel Renault, from a small workshop in Billancourt just south-west of Paris. The desire to prove their abilities drove them to demonstrate a voiturette up the steep incline of Rue Lépic in Paris’ Montmartre in 1898; to take victory in the Paris-Vienna race of 1902 with a ‘light car’ design against bigger, faster machines; and also to enter the Grand Prix in 1906, an official return to racing for Louis Renault after the death of brother Marcel in 1903, to once again demonstrate the excellence and ingenuity of his company’s designs.

Since those pioneer days, Renault has won the Formula 1 World Constructors’ Championship seven times (six times as an engine manufacturer, once as a works team), twice taken victory in the Monaco Grand Prix with its own team (2004/06), and conquered the Le Mans 24 Hour race with the Alpine-Renault that triumphed in 1978 at the hands of Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Didier Pironi. At its home race, it has taken pole position seven times (1979/81/82/83/84/2004/05), won the race five times (1979/81/82/83/2005) and as an engine manufacturer in 1996, took a famous 1/2/3/4 finish with the Williams and Benetton teams.

Furthermore, it is a tradition that has been built alongside loyal partners. Fernando Alonso’s Canadian Grand Prix victory was the 100th for Michelin in Formula 1 – 100 years after Szisz’s Michelin-shod Renault triumphed at Le Mans. Alonso’s Barcelona success marked 100 wins for the partnership between Renault and Elf, begun back in 1977 – and Elf also passed the 150 F1 wins milestone at the 2006 British Grand Prix.

Yet as milestones are passed, and records fall, one truth remains. That each success,small and great, is only possible with the dedication and passion of the women and men who pursue ever greater challenges. In 2006, motorsport may not directly develop the cars of tomorrow, but it does express a company’s passion, its soul and its expertise. This weekend’s centenary is also a commemoration of those values that continue to drive the Renault F1 Team forward today.


Halfway and beyond…

The Renault F1 Team reached the halfway stage of the season during the North American campaign with strong leads in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. A tough weekend in Indianapolis saw main rival Ferrari re-gain ground on the French team, but also enabled Giancarlo Fisichella to surge into third place in the drivers’ championship. So what’s the prognosis for the final eight races of 2006? We asked some key players in the world champion team for their thoughts:

Alain Dassas, President, Renault F1 Team
Renault announced renewed long-term commitment to Formula 1 last April. What has been the impact of the announcement?
The impact of the announcement is wide-ranging. Firstly, it reassures the team. Within Renault, there is strong support for the F1 programme but, for the shareholders, there were some questions. We now know what the future looks like, and I can see new energy. In the coming months, the programmes aimed at exploiting our F1 success will grow. We have just established a Motorsport Management Committee aimed at making better capital from our F1 success on a commercial and product level. In terms of our sponsors, we will also try and leverage further involvement from suppliers to the Renault Group.

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Renault F1 Team
Can Renault take double championship victory again in 2006?
Yes, I believe so. We have the performance, the reliability and the people. They are doing the job, and doing it well. If we carry on, if we take nothing for granted and continue to push ourselves, then we can do it. It will be a tough fight, but that is the challenge and the thrill of F1 – to work with the team, with its people, to achieve your goals together. That is what really motivates me – and I know we have the ability to take the championships this year.

Bob Bell, Chassis Technical Director
Has the mood of the Renault F1 Team changed compared to 2005?
I think it is even more determined. The pressure to deliver doesn’t just come from the outside: it comes from every member of the team. There is a self-imposed desire to take things to the next level, to move on and to do an even better job than last year. It is a paradoxical situation we find ourselves in. Last year, we had nothing to lose but could afford to take a slightly conservative approach to our racing. This year, we have everything to lose but we need to really push like hell to stay ahead.

Rob White, Engine Technical Director
What are the team’s plans for development of the RS26 engine to the end of the season?
We are absolutely committed to the performance development of the RS26 engine to the end of the season. The engine is a critical performance parameter in the car’s performance, and we will aim to develop it as well as we did last year, and hopefully better. It is clear that we need to pursue our development aggressively in order to maintain our advantage over the competition and although we may not have the biggest ‘war chest’ in terms of resources, we are well-equipped for what we need to do, we believe we have established competitive targets to do it, and will be disappointed if our season is not rewarded with more world championship titles.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
What are your expectations for the second half of the championship?
In the last few races, we have seen that McLaren are coming back in to the mix and they will play a major role. At the start of the year, I was expecting a four-way fight between Renault, Ferrari, McLaren and Honda. Ferrari have lived up to expectations, and Honda seem to be further behind than we thought. But after struggling in the opening races, McLaren are right back at the front. We are no longer fighting just one team but two. It will be a thrilling finish to the year – and one where we intend to come out on top!

Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations
What is the main strength of the Renault F1 Team at the moment?
I think the greatest strength is the absence of weaknesses. Not in terms of our drivers, nor the engine, chassis, tyres or strategy. I think we have the best of what’s available up and down the pit-lane in every area. From this point on, we have to ensure this system stays strong and continues to perform exceptionally: any lowering of standards could cost us very dearly.