France 2018 - GP Preview - Renault F1

Cyril Abiteboul

France is synonymous with racing, in particular Formula 1. The first-ever Grand Prix was held at Le Mans in 1906 and the word Grand Prix is indeed French!

The return of the French Grand Prix is going to carry an added level of emotion for all at Renault. Everyone who works for the marque is proud of our heritage at this event. Renault’s first win in the sport came in 1979 in Dijon, courtesy of Jean-Pierre Jabouille’s victory with Rene Arnoux also on the podium that day after one of the all-time great racing duels with Gilles Villeneuve. We have scored a further nine victories on our home soil with some of the sport’s best drivers– Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher.

We are at an early stage of our journey so a win is probably not on the cards, but as a French team, we know we have extra pressure to perform well at our home race. But the race on home soil also gives us extra motivation to pull together and work well. We head to Circuit Paul Ricard on the back of a positive result in Montréal, where we demonstrated, once more, our excellent team spirit. We recovered from a difficult start to the weekend to take ten points and a healthy step forward in the Constructors’ Championship. We also continue our established development plan on the chassis side, so it will be about maintaining this momentum for this very important race in the context of the team’s reconstruction.

We need to match the teamwork we saw in Canada, and exemplify this level of passion and pride in France. We can’t wait.

Rémi Taffin

Rémi Taffin has happy memories of the French Grand Prix, having engineered Fernando Alonso to victory in 2005 at Magny Cours on the way to the team’s first world championship title. Thirteen years on, the now Engine Technical Director is aiming to taste more success at his home Grand Prix in Le Castellet.

What do we know about Circuit Paul Ricard?

Circuit Paul Ricard is a real mix of sectors, probably more so than any other circuit this season. We shouldn’t expect too many surprises and we’re not going in blind. There are two long straights, as well as some heavy braking zones. Signes, at end of the back straight, should be taken flat out in a similar fashion to Silverstone’s Copse Corner so that will put the Power Unit and drivers alike under a lot of forces, but shouldn’t be too much of an issue for either.

What’s the verdict on the B-spec engine from Canada?

It’s doing what we expected. All six Renault-powered cars had the engine upgrade in Canada. It demonstrated good performance and driveability. We had four cars inside the top ten, including a podium and the fastest lap of the race.

And what else is there in the pipeline for engine development?

The C-spec engine is already on the dynos at Viry and we’ll soon be at a stage for its deployment with races coming thick and fast over the weeks ahead, especially with Formula 1’s first triple-header on the horizon.

What memories stand out for you with the French Grand Prix?

When you’re a French company, and you race at the French Grand Prix, it’s always a pleasure. You’re in your home country and there are a lot of spectators, so it’s always a good audience. It’s a special feeling, especially winning, which we achieved in 2005 with the very fast blue cars and Fernando Alonso! We always had good fights in the French Grand Prix, the 2004 race was another good battle between Fernando and Michael [Schumacher] for the win, even if unfortunately, we lost it to them on that occasion. We were on a three-stop strategy, to their four-stop! These are good memories, good on-track fights and of course we’ll always remember that 2005 victory. Hopefully there are more memories to come of battling for the top step of the podium.

What’s the feeling like at Viry ahead of the home race?

They can really feel it’s their home Grand Prix and that’s special. If you see where Viry is located, it’s close to Paris and you could argue Spa is closer to Paris than Circuit Paul Ricard! But it’s still our home country and we can feel it, and we are all looking forward to it. 

Nico Hülkenberg

Nico Hülkenberg heads to the slightly unfamiliar Circuit Paul Ricard on the back of a bright weekend in Montréal, where he claimed a solid seventh place courtesy of a cool and composed performance.

How excited are you for the French Grand Prix?

I’m very much looking forward to racing at Circuit Paul Ricard. It’s been a long time coming for Renault, 10 years since their last race on home soil, so I’m carrying that extra level of motivation to do the job proud on track. I know how much this means to the staff members of the team!

What do you know about Circuit Paul Ricard?

I know the circuit quite well actually, so it’s not like going in totally blind. I’ve driven a few laps there back when I was preparing for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours. The characteristics of the circuit are quite similar to the last round in Montréal, especially the long straights with need for a high-top speed, as well as heavy braking zones. Friday practice is going be important for all teams and drivers to get up to speed of learning a new circuit, but that’s a challenge I look forward to and I’ll be doing my best to discover some secrets.

How does a driver prepare for a new circuit on the calendar?

Completing laps on the simulator is a good starting point, and we’ll be spending a day at Enstone going through set-ups and trying to get some data on board before we head there. Then it’s about working hard with your engineers, learning and listening, before putting it all into practice and trying to get as many laps as possible chalked up through the Friday and Saturday practice sessions.

Is the Hulk happy after sealing the ‘best of the rest’ accolade in Canada?

It was a pleasing weekend in the end for the whole team, ten points in the bag and taking a positive step ahead of our nearest rival. Of course, finishing seventh is essentially the best we can achieve at the moment if the top six finish the race, but that doesn’t deter from the fact we have a lot to work on and many areas to improve to close the gap to the front.

Carlos Sainz

Five points-scoring finishes in a row means Carlos Sainz is on his best run of form since his Formula 1 debut in 2015. And the Spaniard is hungry for more as he aims for a strong result on the team’s home turf at Le Castellet.

How is Chilli feeling ahead of the French Grand Prix?

We’re coming from a very strong team result in Canada so I think we can be positive about that. We need to keep developing the car at this rate, as everything we are bringing to the circuit is working and the car is getting quicker and quicker. Paul Ricard has quite similar characteristics to Montréal, with the two long straights and emphasis on a good top speed so if we can perform in a similar manner to Canada we’ll be happy.

With it being the first French Grand Prix in 10 years, does that bring an added level of motivation?

Each weekend I’m highly motivated to achieve the best result possible and this will be no different in that regard. However, the fact that it is the home race for Renault will give us all an extra boost! It’ll be a busy Grand Prix off the track and there’ll be a lot of interest from media and sponsors. But when the visor goes down, it’ll be business as usual for us guys and we’ll be out there to get the maximum from it.

You have five points-scoring finishes in a row, your best in Formula 1 to date, what’s been behind this bright run?

I feel we are making good progress every time I go on track in the Renault R.S.18 and this is translating into points, shown at the past few races. It’s good to be consistent and to keep picking up points at every race. That’s the target every weekend, so let’s make it six in a row in France!