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Linksheaven 2006 F1 Preview: RenaultF1

March 8th, 2006

1st annual linksheaven.com

formula 1 preview - 2006

RenaultF1

Team

Mild Seven RenaultF1

Nationality

France

Engine

Renault V-8

Tires

Michelin

Team Principal

Flavio Briatore

Team Website

http://www.renaultf1.com/

Sponsors

Renault, Mild Seven (Japan Tobbacco), Michelin, Telefonica

2005 Results

Driver’s	1st
Constructors	1st

Drivers

Driver

Fernando Alonso

Nationality

Spain

2005 Results

1st

Website

www.fernandoalonso.com

Driver

Giancarlo Fisichella

Nationality

Italy

2005 Results

5th

Website

www.giancarlofisichella.it

test

Driver

Heikki Kovalainen

Nationality

Finland

2005 Results

2nd, GP2 Series

Website

None

2006 Outlook

Renault has an interesting time this season. The team took home both titles last season, and will be the first team this century to carry the number 1 that doesn’t have a prancing horse and Michael Schumacher involved with it. Praise champion Fernando Alonso all you wish, for he does deserve some, but Renault used pure technical achievement to win the titles: a brilliantly slippery car, tank like reliability, near perfect balance, and enormous engine grunt. All that said, Renault face 2006 with having to produce a car with absolutely no input of any kind from former team leader Mike Gascoyne, and aero wizard John Illey, while both departed before last season, both had input into the early stages of the title winning R25.
So far, neither the loss of those two men’s input nor the now enormous pressure to successfully defend those titles has gotten to Renault the least. The R26 chassis has looked to near seamlessly taken off where the R25 left off, many of the lines similar, and despite some upgrades, what worked on that car is either improved upon or still there for the new one. Often one of the most attractive looking F1 cars, the RS26 is no different with a graceful appearance and still carrying a very slippery looking body. The car has been a reliable rocket in winter testing being either first or second in almost every single test they appear in, racking up huge amounts of kilometers, and being praised as another well balanced car by both it’s returning pilots from last season. There have been the odd failure here and there, and two separate design problems with the rear wing and bodywork components that needed a few days of work to settle, but despite a slightly higher tendency to grain it’s tyres than last year’s car, things look smooth.
The RS26 2.4 Liter V8 engine has some pretty big shoes to fill if it’s to live up to the success that it’s big brother RS25 3 Liter V10 had last season as one of the most powerful and reliable engines on the grid. So far this appears to be another success story for Renault, another company with very good current racing V8 experience, as they have spent the last 2 years designing and testing and last season racing the new spec engine for the GP2 series, and that is believed to be giving them a leg up on the transition to the new formula. Renault put their engine around 3rd on the grid, behind Honda and Ferrari, but maybe not the most powerful, but up there in every regard and so far much more reliable than most engines including the Ferrari. 
As far as drivers, last season Alonso was undoubtedly the star. Although Fisichella had very bad luck for a lot of the season, there are those that subscribe to the philosophy that you make your own luck. This season Alonso is a ‘dead man walking’ at Renault, the team fully aware of his pending transfer to McLaren for 2007. He has no future at Renault. The team has come out with assurances that he will be treated no differently but this is impossible to believe. A driver is fundamental to the creation of the new car and the development of the existing one, and they cannot let Alonso have access to anything sensitive. So while he will undoubtedly get 100% backing and access to existing equipment, if towards the 3/4 way mark he is not clearly in the running he might find the going getting tough. Especially if Fisichella’s luck turns around and he finds himself in the mix too. Make no mistake, Renault want to win the championship, but they would much rather win it and keep the number 1 car. To do this it must be Fisichella that wins it. Last season the numbers were 14-5 in qualifying and 15-3 in finishes in favor of the Spaniard. Surely this year it cannot possibly be the same. Many happen to think that although Fisi’s ’stock’ took a hiding last year, he has not become a bad driver overnight. The fact is that he did NOT create some of his bad luck last season, and if you couple that with Alonso’s uncomfortable position in the team this season it has to mean a closer therefore better season for Fisi. My head still expects Alonso to come out on top, but the fact it will be closer tells me it will be a better season. Joining the team as test and reserve driver is the 2005 GP2 runner up, Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen. Kovalainen is not new to Renault, but rather taking a much-increased role.
Renault has it all in place to either send off Alonso to McLaren with another title, or possibly give the little Italian Fisi his first.

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