The famous Renault insignia has been a synonymous component to Enstone’s Formula One history.
Dating back as far as 1995 and a customer relationship with Benetton; Renault at Enstone have achieved a great many things together.
Their works partnership which spanned from 2002 until 2011, spawned two constructors’ championships as well as two drivers’ titles for the then rising star Fernando Alonso.
Now, dissatisfied with the spray of negative publicity from their championship-winning partners in Red Bull Racing – the French manufacturer wants to buy back as a sole factory operation.
The logical fit it would seem would be indeed the Enstone team. As much of current infrastructure and personnel were around during Renault’s previous tenure with the team.
Perhaps this would make the current Lotus F1 Team a more desirable and simple base to acquire, if Viry-Châtillon is targeting as early 2016 to re-enter the Formula One fray.
In terms of drivers, there would be none other than Frenchman Romain Grosjean to lead the potential front-running squad.
Beyond his French connection, Grosjean holds ten podium finishes to his name and has strong ties to Total; Renault’s choice of performance oils.
But also, having been an Enstone stalwart for what is now his sixth season inside the operation – Grosjean would be first in mind to reap the rewards of returning to the sharp end of the grid.
Could Lotus’ financial issues put Renault off?
Lotus is no stranger to financial turmoil and according to their trackside operations manager Alan Permane, “This is the worst season we’ve had financially.”
Go back to the 2013 season also, which saw their marquee driver Kimi Räikkönen depart having not been paid his wages.
There was also the dubiousness surrounding the mysterious Quantum/Infinity group, whom on a number of occasions stated that their deal to acquire Lotus from Genii Capital was complete – but never surfaced in reality.
A legal threat too now looms over Lotus, after former test driver Charles Pic obtained a court order in Belgium to impound the team’s cars, in wake of the Frenchman being dissatisfied over the time he had allocated during the 2014 season to drive the then E22 chassis.
Could all these rows perchance in Renault wanting to pursue their re-emergence elsewhere?
Force India’s Dr Vijay Mallya has made it no secret that he’s had no less than two meetings with Renault ambassador and four-time world champion Alain Prost, to discuss the matter of complete acquisition.
Whether the ever-passionate yields his shares or not is another story, but this shows that Renault are indeed weighing up their options everywhere.
Nevertheless, a Renault purchase of the Enstone team would be a saving grace, in order to return them to the top of the sport akin to their rich pedigree.
“To be a works team again would be fantastic,” echoed long-time Enstone employee Permane.
That and it would behold a sight that all Formula One romantics would adore – a Renault in yellow, back atop of the world.
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Team Penske is under the same umbrella of ownership as the IndyCar Series itself, so it was imperative for to drop the hammer and protect their integrity—which, thankfully, they did.
Red Bull can’t rest on its laurels and if Perez can’t provide them with cover on the rare days that Verstappen is having trouble, it's time to look elsewhere.
The absolute vitriol against the Canadian that has come from the incident is beyond reprehensible.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is the Monaco of American motorsport, and this past weekend, the IndyCar Series reminded everyone exactly why. We witnessed…
New Zealand made a triumphant return to the Supercars championship calendar since the demise of the much-loved Pukekohe Park Raceway – as Taupō delivered…
It’s time that serious questions are asked of his Lance Stroll and his future in the team.
