In Renault, last year's result was repeated, taking the fifth place in the constructors' cup, but the season was bright - with podiums, changing the composition - and even changing the name.
Racer Grand Prix Best Start Best Finish Daniel Riccardo 17 5 119 4 3 Esteban Windows 17 12 62 5 2 Renault F1 Team Grand Prix Best Start Best Finish 2020 17 5 181 4 2 2019 21 5 91 4 4 2018 21 4 122 5 5 2017 20 6 57 5 6 2016 21 9 8 13 7The presentation of the car was held in the Paris Showerum on the Champs Elysees on the day of the 143th anniversary of Louis Renault. But there was no new car - did not have time to prepare.
Renault was very much waited for the change of regulations in 2021, declaring the 2020 transition season in advance, but the new car and the new power plant allowed to add, especially against the background of the Ferrari downturn, and the transition to a new regulation was asked as a result.
Renault met with Coronavirus before others - In early March, the director of the Youth Academy, together with the riders stuck on a two-week quarantine on Tenerife. And before sending a team to Melbourne, her head of Syril Abitebul openly spoke about his fears.
Syril Abtebul
: "Of course I worry. I send my people into the way - and someone from them may return to those who are sick. I believe that now Formula 1 is too frivolous to this applies. We all share responsibility, but the sport management should take it on themselves. I want us to chase, but I do not want to risk. "
Then the Australian stage was canceled, the team returned home, where the French database of Motorists in Viri was closed before the British base in Enstone. Began a long spring break when some were sent on vacation, and others were transferred to the abbreviated working week.
Amazing was spring. As if in the chess party, the hours stopped, and the figures continued to move themselves, without the participation of players.
In mid-May, after the Fierrari statement about the dismissal of Vettel at the end of the season - and signing a contract with Carlos Sains, the head of McLaren Zac Brown did what he wanted to do for several years - signed a contract with Daniel Riccardo, who last year's situation in Renault did not suit. What a team form will be this year, the Australian has not yet known, McLaren's progress was obvious - and Riccardo agreed.
Riccardo was glad to transition to McLaren, but promised to adequately bring the season to the end. Even before that, the Australian and the team leader Siril Abitebul were betrayed - if Daniel rises to the podium, Syryl will make a tattoo - the drawing will choose Riccardo, and the place for tattoo is an abitabul. It seemed that the Renault had no chance of the podium, but in the end of the season, the car unexpectedly went - and Daniel won this bet.
At the end of May, Renault presented a large-scale cost reduction plan, and in July suddenly confirmed the contract for the vacancy with Fernando Alonso. Healthy then everyone surprised this deal.
Not without scandals. Having placed the full-fledged factory team to the championship, in Renault were unhappy that the year after year they beat private teams with a smaller budget and much more modest facilities. And if an opportunity appeared to present complaints - they were presented.
At first, Renault demanded explanations from FIA on a confidential agreement with Ferrari. In the Federation, they were separated by a general response, but marked their position, not involving further discussions. And then Renault excited the success of Racing Point.
Renault, as the factory team, several times publicly declared its position about client machines, considering any options for circumventing the rules unacceptable. But the client teams also read the regulations - their lawyers are not in vain receive their money. In Racing Point, they simply repeated what many years did in Toro Rosso and Haas F1 - they copied last year's car a strong team. The difference was that now it was a champion car - the owner of the Racing Point Lawrence Rastrol agreed with Mercedes. And progress on the track did not make himself wait.
After an external acquaintance from the rival car in Renault, they considered their rights to be broken. Even they did not have such a thoroughly worked brake cooling system, and Racing Point she was - and everyone understood that a small private team, even with sufficient funding, such a node cannot be independently developed.
According to the rules, the team should have intellectual property rights on brake ducts, so Renault suspected that the rivals simply repeated the complex Detail of Mercedes, somehow gets access to technical documentation - and hooked for it.
A series of protests began, but the FIA recognized the violation of sports regulations only in one race, punishing the Racing Point with a fine of 200 thousand euros and a loss of 15 points at the finish of the Grand Prix. This question rose several times, but did not receive the continuation. In FIA, they limited the ability to copy the parts of the machines in the season of 2021 - and Renault it seems to be arranged. Details of the agreement remained behind the scenes.
Last time, the factory team Renault celebrated the podium in 2011 - more with Petrov and Heidfeld, and in the 2020th Riccardo finished the third on Nürburgring and in Imvel, then the windows finished the race in Sakhir second. ABITEBUL lost his bet, and Daniel fulfilled his promise, adopted in the course of the season.
In the course of the season, Riccardo convincingly goded the window. The reasons were called different, first of all - passed by the Frenchman last season, but many believe that Esteban, the former loud victory of which was the title in the GP3 in 2015, simply reached the limit of his capabilities - racing and psychological. And against the background of bright and beloved by all Riccardo, he turned out very difficult. But next year, his partner will be Fernando Alonso.
Return Fernando Alonso for many has become a mystery. Why Renault is needed experimental and fast Spaniard, but already departed from Formula 1, and before this spoiled the life of many teams? Is that to ensure the right budget - under Alonso and Alpine brand. However, according to rumors, the contract with Riccardo managed Renault is even more expensive ...
Source: Formula 1 on F1news.ru