Renault unveil R30 and Petrov at Ricardo Tormo
Renault unveil R30 at Ricardo Tormo
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Sunday, 31, Jan 2010 11:15
By Adam Leveridge.
The Renault formula one team launched their 2010 car, the R30, at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia on Sunday.
Following months of uncertainty over Renault's future in F1, it was announced at the end of last year that the French manufacturer would remain in the sport for the foreseeable, after signing-over 75 per cent of their F1 outfit to Luxembourg investment firm Genii Capital.
The team begins 2010 with Eric Boullier at the helm, who moves to F1 having previously ran the DAMS team in lower formulas.
But the team will also be without the expertise of its former technical chief Pat Symonds, who was disgraced and banned from the sport for five years, for his involvement in the controversial Singapore grand prix race-fixing scandal.
Renault will be trying to shake-off memories of 2009 and will be hoping to return to the world championship fight once again, this time with Robert Kubica.
"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," said Kubica.
"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."
However, Kubica said it's impossible to predict where Renault will be in the grand scheme of things, until the season begins in Bahrain in March.
"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," said Kubica.
"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."
It has also been confirmed that Russian GP2 star Vitaly Petrov has signed a deal to race for Renault.
Petrov, 25, finished second in last year's GP2 series and is Russia's first ever F1 driver.
In the weeks leading up to the first pre-season test of 2010, a number of contenders for the remaining Renault seat emerged, however, Petrov was never tipped for the drive.
Petrov is originally from the Russian town of Vyborg and is also known as the 'Vyborg Rocket'.
Renault team principal Eric Boullier said of the signing: "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 F1.
"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."
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 F1 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."
Ho Pin Tung, who tested for the Anglo-French squad at the end of last year during the young drivers' test in Jerez, will take on the third driver role at the Anglo-French outfit and will be joined by GP2 racer Jerome D'Ambrosio and Jan Charouz.