Renault plans a major push in car development at the start of the year as the team aims to reclaim fourth place in the constructors’ championship, a position it lost in 2019.
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Team principal Cyril Abiteboul described last season as “not a great year for us,” after Renault slipped from fourth to fifth in the constructors’ standings behind customer team McLaren.
“We are approaching 2020 with a different mindset,” Abiteboul said. “We need to set realistic, moderate targets, stick to them and deliver.”
He added: “We think it’s realistic to target fourth in the constructors’ championship if we stick to the plan — in terms of reliability, performance, development and execution at the track.”
Abiteboul wants a strong start that allows the team to then turn attention toward the new regulations planned for the 2021 F1 season.
“2020 is a pivotal year,” he said. “It’s the end of a cycle and the start of a new one. Success in this sport is often built and anticipated around changes of cycle, so we must factor that into our plan.”
“Our approach is to push development heavily at the start of the season to secure the competitiveness needed to meet our targets, then shift resources toward 2021 as early as practical to aim for a breakthrough.”
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2020 F1 season
- Grosjean to make F1 test return tomorrow for first time since Bahrain horror crash
- Pictures: Wrecked chassis from Grosjean’s Bahrain fireball crash to go on display
- Bottas vs Rosberg: Hamilton’s Mercedes team mates compared after 78 races each
- F1 revenues fell by $877 million in Covid-struck 2020 season
- Hamilton and Mercedes finally announce new deal for 2021 season
Browse all 2020 F1 season articles