Formula One team Renault aim for a top four championship finish

Renault

Renault aim for a top four championship finish

Renault seek to topple McLaren from fourth place

Sam Hall

Wednesday 12 February 2020 16:11

Renault set their eyes on fourth place in the Formula One constructors standings but the French manufacturer will also be focusing a lot of their efforts on the development of their 2021 to 'take advantage' of the regulation changes coming in one year.

The 2021 season will see a strict £175-million budget cap enforced on Formula One manufacturers. This means that, for the most part, teams will be spending as much money as they need to on simultaneously developing their 2020 entry and their 2021 entry - in the case of Renault, the R.S.20 and the R.S.21.

For Renault, a team with championship winning pedigree, the new regulations offer an opportunity to return from the midfield to the very front, an opportunity that Jérôme Stoll, President of Renault Sport Racing, says the team do not want to pass up.

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"2020 is also an important transition year for the team," said Stoll. "We aim to recapture the positive momentum from our first three years since returning to Formula 1 while preparing for next season, which will represent a new cycle for all teams. Having completed our initial construction phase, we are more determined than ever to be ready to attack and take advantage of the 2021 technical changes.

"2020 is also the last year under the current agreements that govern Formula 1’s commercial rights. The new agreements and rules, already in advanced negotiation, should represent a new opportunity for Renault Sport Racing and for Renault to take part in a more balanced, competitive sport.

"I have every faith in the teams across Enstone and Viry to challenge once more for fourth in the Constructors’ Championship this year, plus ensure the coming era is anticipated successfully for both the team and Renault brand.

"This is an exciting time to be part of Formula 1, and it is up to us to make the best of it."

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Renault have not recorded a podium finish since their return to Formula One as a constructor in 2016, their last trophy coming with a third place for Nick Heidfeld in the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.

The teams last win was in 2008 at the Japanese Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso.