The modern Renault team is much like the little girl with the curl. When it’s good – as shown by its back-to-back domination of 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso – it’s very, very good. But when it’s bad, it’s horrid.
The works Renault outfit of the late 1970s and early 1980s pioneered turbo technology in Formula 1, but couldn’t stay at the front long enough to win the title. As an engine supplier to Williams in the 1990s, Renault dominated the sport, ending McLaren and Honda’s reign, before a purchase of the Benetton team in 2000 started a long climb back to the top as a team outright.
Back-to-back drivers’ and constructors’ titles with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006 were the high point, but the team has struggled to recapture that form. The controversy of 2009 that resulted in flamboyant team boss Flavio Briatore and design chief Pat Symonds’ departure didn’t help preparations for 2010, but newly arrived Polish driving ace Robert Kubica was able to show Renaults strengths. Even Russian-funded Vitaly Petrov was able to pester the big boys at times. With a new Lotus tie-up for 2011 and driver stability, there’s every chance that Renault can begin its climb back up to the top of the pack once again.
Nick HeidfeldVitaly Petrov