Renault unveils 2010 F1 car

The wraps came off Renault’s new R30 at Valenica overnight. It looks pretty much as expected, and this car marks the start of a new era for Renault. In 2010 the team starts under a radically revised ownership regime and with two new drivers the team can now go forward and forge a new identity far removed from the shadow of the 2008 ‘crashgate‘ scandal.

We already knew that Robert Kubica was on board with Renault for the 2010 season and now the strong rumours of being joined by the first Russian in Formula One have been confirmed with the announcement of 25-year-old Vitaly Petrov as Renault’s second driver.

Reminiscent of previous Jordan paint schemes, the new R30 looks great, although Renault will be hoping it can fill the sponsorship void sooner, rather than later. There’s plenty of images of the R30 available after the jump, although so far all manufacturers have remained coy about showing the rear of their cars. I guess we’ll get a look at the rear diffusers later today during testing.

In addition to the pics there’s press statements from the major players and a YouTube clip showing off the new R30. When you’re done looking at all this why not take a peak at the new Renault F1 website.

Renault F1 Team presents the R30 in Valencia

The Renault F1 Team took the covers off its 2010 challenger, the R30, today in front of assembled media at the Valencia circuit in Spain.

Renault F1 Team driver Robert Kubica was on hand to unveil the car and reveal the exciting new black and yellow livery – the iconic colours made famous by Renault in the 1980s. The team also presented Vitaly Petrov as Robert’s teammate for the 2010 season. The 25-year-old finished as runner-up in the GP2 Series last year and becomes the first Russian driver to race in Formula One.

After unveiling the R30, Team Principal, Eric Boullier, joined Robert and Vitaly for a photo call in front of the car, along with the team’s Third Driver, Ho-Pin Tung, and Reserve Driver, Jérôme d’Ambrosio. Czech driver Jan Charouz will also be a Reserve Driver for the team this year but was unable to attend the presentation.

With stable aero regulations the R30 is a mixture of evolution and revolution, and is much more svelte and attractive than its predecessor. In particular the rear of the car has been considerably reworked to allow the car to make the most of the ‘double-decker’ diffusers that were first seen last year. Changes have also been made to the architecture of the chassis to adapt to the refuelling ban, which has required the installation of a much larger fuel tank.

Speaking at the presentation, Eric Boullier praised the team’s efforts in delivering the new car in time for the first test: “We’ve been working flat-out during the winter to ensure that we begin the new season in the best shape possible. The R30 should be a competitive, strong and reliable car, and we’ve opted for an aggressive development strategy throughout the season. Now we’re here ready for the first test and we’re all excited to see if the car performs as we think it will.”

Both Robert and Vitaly were thrilled to see their new car and spoke of their hopes for the season ahead: “The team has been working on the new car for a long time and it’s clear that we are moving in the right direction,” said Robert. “Now we need to maximise the winter tests to keep up this momentum and continue improving the car. Our priority is to make the car easy to drive because the new rules favour cars that are not too sensitive – we need a car that behaves consistently in a wide range of conditions.”

Vitaly Petrov added: “The new car looks stunning and the colours remind everybody of Renault’s great history in the sport. I can’t wait to drive the car for the first time and start working with the team.”

The Renault F1 Team will remain in Valencia until Wednesday evening to complete the first pre-season test session.

Vitaly Petrov to race for the Renault F1 Team in 2010

The Renault F1 Team is delighted to announce that Vitaly Petrov will race for the team this season alongside Robert Kubica.

The 25-year-old will become the first Russian to compete in Formula One when he makes his Grand Prix debut in Bahrain in March. He joins the Renault F1 Team off the back of a successful GP2 career having finished as the Series runner-up last season.

Renault F1 Team Principal, Eric Boullier, said: “This is a very special day for Vitaly and we welcome him into the team. As a rookie, we recognise that Vitaly will have a lot to learn this season, but his performances in GP2 last year were outstanding and confirmed that he is ready to make the step up to Formula One. With Robert alongside him, Vitaly has the perfect role model to learn from and I’m confident he will deliver on the promise he has shown throughout his career.”

Vitaly Petrov added: “This is a great opportunity for me and I’m really looking forward to working with the team this season. I’ve always dreamed of racing in Formula One and so to make my debut with a top team like Renault is very exciting. The first race is just over a month away so I will make sure I spend as much time as possible with the team over the next few weeks so that I am fully prepared in time for Bahrain.”

Robert Kubica: “The team knows what it takes to win.”

Interview with Robert Kubica, Renault F1 Team Driver.

Robert, you’ve had a long association with Renault throughout your career and now you’re racing for Renault in F1. How does it feel?
I’m very happy to be here and, as you say, I do have a long history with Renault. In fact my single-seater career started in a Formula Renault in 2001 and then in 2005 I won the World Series by Renault. That gave me the chance to test for the Renault F1 Team and started my journey in Formula One. Although my career took a different direction with BMW, it’s great to be back with Renault where I have a lot of good memories. I already know a lot of the people here and over the winter I have seen how motivated everybody is to improve our competitiveness and start winning races again.

You’ve followed the progress of the new car, the R30, closely over the winter. What are your first impressions?
Obviously the R30 is bigger than the R29 because the refuelling ban means we need a bigger fuel cell, which has had an impact on the design of the car. Last year Renault’s car was not that competitive so I’m being realistic because I know that we need to make up a lot of ground if we want to fight at the front. But the team have been concentrating on the 2010 car for a long time and I’m convinced that we are moving in the right direction. Even if we start the season in the midfield, I’m sure we can catch the other teams during the year.

Will the refuelling ban and introduction of narrower front tyres have a big impact on the racing?
I don’t think it will have a major impact on the racing, but it will certainly change the behaviour of the car. For example, we can expect to see a huge difference between qualifying lap times and the lap times at the start of the race. When the car is full of fuel it will probably add 150 kgs of weight and that will have a huge effect on driving style – especially for braking points. With the narrower tyres we will have to be careful not to wear them out too quickly and we will need to adapt the set-up and weight distribution to cope with this.

Although you’ve yet to drive the R30, what personal objectives do you have in mind for 2010?
It’s a difficult question to answer. Based on my experience from the previous years, you never really know what to expect until the season starts because things can change so quickly, especially during the winter. When I was with Sauber in 2008, I remember the car did not meet our expectations at the start of the year, but within a month we had turned things around and I took pole position in Bahrain. So things can change very quickly, which is why it’s hard to say what my objectives are. My only hope is that the car is easy to drive because the new rules will favour cars that are not too sensitive – we need a car that behaves consistently in a wide range of conditions.

Eric Boullier: “I’ve received a very warm welcome from everybody.”

Interview with Eric Boullier, Team Principal.

Eric, you’ve been Team Principal for just over a month. How have you settled into the team?
I’ve received a very warm welcome from everybody. Of course, the last four weeks have been very busy for the entire team, but I’ve been impressed with the motivation and work ethic of the factory. Now that the new season is approaching, we must keep focussed and push hard to deliver a strong performance from the first race. For me, the human side of the job is by far the most important.

It’s early days in the season, but what objectives do you have in mind for 2010?
We clearly want to be back at the front and capable of challenging for podiums as soon as possible. It would be too optimistic to say we want to be there from race one, but the progress and simulations we have seen over the winter are encouraging. We also have the resources at Enstone to deliver good development steps during the season so that we continue to improve from race to race. The aim, then, is to fight regularly for the podium in the last part of the season.

The first race in Bahrain is just over a month away. Are you looking forward to it?
Absolutely! It will be our first chance to see where we stand compared with our competitors in real racing conditions. We can go to Bahrain safe in the knowledge that the entire team has put in an enormous effort over the winter and determined to convert all that hard work into a strong performance on the racetrack. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all the team members for their efforts over the last few months. I’m convinced that they’ll pay off on the racetrack.