Q&A with Carlos Tavares (Renault)

Carlos Tavares, chief operating officer of Renault, was a notable visitor to the the Silverstone paddock last weekend. He took some time out from his busy schedule to discuss Renault’s involvement in F1.

Your presence here is a very good sign for F1. Why did you come to the British Grand Prix in particular ?

There were two reasons. The first is I am passionate about motorsport. The second is that I am passionate about Renault and Renault is competing in this Grand Prix. I only waited six days from when I started this job before coming to a race as I believe there is a great passion for cars and motorsport within the Renault Group. It is also my way of showing that we need to harness this passion within the Group so that every Renault partner and employee can benefit from our involvement, which will in turn be for the benefit of our clients.

Six days after starting your new role you are at a Grand Prix, but moreover you’ve also announced a partnership with a fourth team for next year, and with a good team at that : Williams, which has a particular resonance amongst F1 fans on account of its multiple title wins in the 90s. Is there a certain satisfaction in seeing Renault represented at the highest level of motorsport and in such force as well ?

It is very satisfying and this is partly due to the history and success of the partnership. We know that Renault is a very open company and has demonstrated its ability to work intelligently and constructively with our partners. I believe that Renault’s partnership with four teams is a translation of this capability.

It shows an ability to share information and build associations. The world is getting more and more complicated and everyone is doing fewer and fewer things independently, so the fact we continue to show our ability to work with people that have different ideas and opinions, is a very strong point of the company. It brings a depth to our operation.

I am very happy with the partnership with Williams – I think it will bring a lot to the company.

In F1, there is constant innovation, even more so than in the road car industry, and not just in the teams, but in the engine suppliers, suppliers, partners… How important is this evolution for Renault and for the company’s image ?

It’s crucial and we are very careful to nurture the talent we have at Viry-Châtillon. This shows in the work we do, and I know we have a lot of engineers that strive to improve their knowledge and understanding in the field. We have also taken care to establish a dialogue and interaction between the F1 operation and the rest of the company so that the expertise and the technologies are transferred to the road cars.

The second factor to consider is that we have also contributed at various stages to the discussions concerning the development of electric engines within F1. Everyone knows that Renault took a lead on this subject, we have invested a lot of time and effort in this and we will launch three electric road vehicles at the end of the year. We are the only road car manufacturer to do this.

There is a synergy between the direction we are taking with our electric road cars and the electric technology in F1 engines. And you can count on me that these synergies will be explored, or to create a situation where they can be explored.

In 2014 a new engine formula will be introduced ; the V6 turbo, with a greater emphasis on electric propulsion. Did you want this change, and how will it be introduced into your general strategy ?

This was one of the conditions explained to our teams for us to be in F1, and it still applies. Renault has always had an ability to innovate. We want our innovation to be useful to our clients and to the general health of the planet. Therefore this ‘downsizing’ we’ve put all our support behind is perfectly aligned. There needs to be a convergence between the technologies seen in F1 and the wishes of our clients and the societies we operate in.

I’m sure that the decision just taken won’t be the final step but we are very happy that we have managed to find a common consensus.

What are your feelings on the current season, Red Bull and Renault’s domination, the 2010 title and the wins in 2011 ?

First and foremost it’s a example of a great collaboration, with a real fighting spirit. To date the team has been outstanding technically, the drivers and the team management exceptional. The only thing we can say is congratulations and hope that it continues. We’ve seen a few regulatory changes, but I have confidence in the team, I know that they will know what to do to overcome the difficulties placed in front of them.