They may boast just two points to date, though Renault’s latest works Formula One foray is finally displaying signs of life.
It appears ridiculous to be lauding a manufacturer which has barely troubled the scorers since its return, yet the French marque is defying the instability which blighted its off-season.
Frederic Vasseur was a casualty of the political machinations rife within the fiercely nationalistic operation, and many believed this would manifest in a rudderless on-track presence under Cyril Abiteboul’s watch, though attention has not been divided by the process.
With all due respect to the maligned Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hülkenberg’s arrival has provided an invaluable pillar which has galvanised the outfit to dream of a competitive future sooner than anticipated.
The German, who is remarkably yet to grace the podium following six campaigns, represents a nucleus, who in his short tenure at Enstone has already extracted optimal results from a package which remains limited.
His abilities accentuate how adrift teammate Jolyon Palmer is. The 29-year-old at ease in midfield combat with Force Indias and Toro Rossos, while the Briton continues to flounder among backmarkers, doing little to validate his retention.
Palmer’s performances this season have consolidated the notion he’s nothing more than a placeholder until a driver with commensurate talent to Hülkenberg can be attracted. Between the latter’s tendency to flatter the car and the lure of factory support, this should be realised next season.
Saturdays have displayed more promise than Sundays at the opening three events, though repeated Q3 appearances – having struggled to reach Q2 in 2016, can expect to be rewarded as development continues.
Hülkenberg believes his run to seventh on the grid at Bahrain, having qualified in the same position a weekend earlier at China, was “my best quali lap in my career” alongside his pole position at Brazil in 2010, while highlighting the RS17’s single lap pace as “our strong point at the moment.”
Dropping to ninth on Sunday demonstrated the scope for improvement, particularly regarding tyre conservation, though opening their account in the flyaway events was an immediate improvement on some forecasts that the team would struggle to score points this season.
Reverting to the lighter 2017-spec MGU-K – which proved troublesome throughout pre-season testing, for this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, coupled with a major engine upgrade likely to debut in June at Canada should facilitate further progress.
Surpassing long-time customer Red Bull remains a way off, yet as a medium-term proposition, fourth in the constructors’ standings should be realistic within twelve months, on the condition that Palmer’s negligible contributions are dispensed with.
One could understand if Fernando Alonso for instance, decided to roll the dice once more, in an environment which, notwithstanding both titles, he is familiar from multiple tenures and relatively free of the scrutiny attached to McLaren or Ferrari. The Spaniard has nothing to lose, with contention for victories and perhaps titles an expectation at Enstone by 2019.
It’s a lot of bluster for an outfit which has to date, on paper achieved little on its return, though Renault is placing itself nicely, if not stealthily in becoming a destination to be desired once more.
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