The Renault F1 team will unveil only “images” of its car on Wednesday 12th February.
The Renault Formula 1 team is due to unveil its new car for the 2020 season on Wednesday 12th February, but the French manufacturer’s team announced on Monday that it will have to wait until pre-season testing to see it in action.
F1 fans have had a glimpse of the new 2020 Renault team colours with their drivers showing off the new team clothing online. In the photo below, it’s clear to see that this year’s Renault will feature a lot more white in the colour scheme than last season.
A press conference is being organised by Renault on Wednesday 12th February at the Atelier Renault in Paris on the Champs-Elysées, after which the team will unveil images of its car in a “pre-season test booklet” [the car will not be on site].
Team manager Cyril Abiteboul, executive director Marcin Budkowski, chassis and engine technical director Pat Fry and Rémi Taffin, Renault Sport Racing special advisor and four-time world champion Alain Prost, as well as the two drivers will be present at the press conference.
This year, Australian Daniel Ricciardo will team up with young Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who has been on the sidelines for an entire year as a reserve driver for the Mercedes team.
For Renault themselves, the team believes that they must be within touching distance of the top 3 (Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes) in 2020. But the reality is that the team are putting a lot of eggs into one basket for 2021, and many see that 2020 could be another tricky year for the French manufacturer.
This is proven 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 ”
Quite how well another poor season will go down with the parent company remains to be seen. TJ13 reported several weeks ago that Abiteboul admitted the progress of the team wasn’t inline with the original plan set when the French manufacturer decided to create a works team. READ MORE ON THAT STORY HERE.
“It’s tough,” admits Abiteboul, “Formula 1 poses a challenge for all of us – together and individually. But I’m confident that we’ll be able to turn the situation around. And when it happens, it’ll be all the nicer.”
With goals reset in 2019, and the excuses made of restructuring taking longer than thought, one does wonder how much patience Renault have for Cyril Abiteboul, or indeed the entire vision of a Renault works team.
