Renault have launched their 2017 F1 car – the RS17 – at an event in London.
The event was streamed live online and featured interviews with team personnel and 2017 drivers, as well as Alain Prost, who joins the team as a Special Advisor.
The sleek new car features the familiar distinctive yellow which brightened up the 2016 grid but has an added splattering of black towards the rear.
Chief Technical Officer Bob Bell has said that the RS17 is “the first real Renault Formula 1 car of the modern era.”
“It’s a ground-up design as we had the time and the resources to do it, notwithstanding the fact that the change in the regulations demanded it. There is no carryover of componentry from 2016 to 2017, so it really has been a ‘clean sheet of paper’ approach.”
For 2017, Jolyon Palmer stays at Reanult for his second season in the sport, while the experienced Nico Hulkenberg joins him from Force India. It was also announced that GP2 driver Sergey Sirotkin will continue with the team as a reserve driver, and will get more outings in Free Practice 1 sessions throughout the new season. Renault recently made headlines as Frederic Vasseur quit the team after just one year as Team Principal.
Renault finished ninth in the 2016 Constructors’ Championship with a total of 8 points. They won the 2005 and 2006 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships under Flavio Briatore’s guidance. The team have targeted fifth in the 2017 Constructors’ Championship and see McLaren and Force India as their main rivals for this season.
With a car that is now fully designed around a Renault engine, unlike the 2016 effort, will Renault be making positive steps forwards in 2017?
What do you think to the RS17? How competitive do you think Renault will be this season? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!