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.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Yes, Red Bull's unnecessary bitterness towards Renault will result in a messy divorce between the two. On the odd occasion when they did credit Renault, we saw Remi Taffin accept the winning team's trophy at the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix - which at the time appeared as a token of the supposed bond between the two. By next year, Ferrari will be challenging the Silver Arrows for qualifying pace and by 2017 we can perhaps expect both Renault and Honda to emerge into the fray. It would be great to finally see multiple marques fighting it out for the championship again!
goodfella
Guest
It would be great to see a Renault works team back in F1. They do indeed have a rich pedigree in F1, particularly over the last 25 years - both as a factory operation and engine supplier. Red Bull have short memories in terms of what Renault power contributed during the Vettel era. It's funny how when they were so dominant as a team, Red Bull rarely credited Renault reliability and driveability, and instead chose to give most of the credit to their chassis and strategic decisions. As soon as their dominance waned, it was all Renault's fault. No wonder the relationship has soured. Engine manufacturer dominance goes in cycles. Mercedes rules at present but odds are that won't last more than another season or two. Renault have an opportunity to work their way back to the top again on their terms. The Enstone operation would indeed be a good fit. I for one, would love to see a Renault works car showing a clean set of heels to a Mercedes powered Red Bull on the straights of Spa and Monza in seasons to come.