Renault launches its all new Formula One car for the new season, this is All new, nothing from last year,

Renault Sport Formula One Team today launched its 2017 challenger, the R.S.17, at a showcase event in front of international media and team partners, in London, England.

Highlighting new partners and sponsors including BP, Castrol and MAPFRE, the launch was also the first public revealing of the new Renault Sport brand identity, designed to provide a stronger link between Renault Sport Racing and Renault Sport Cars.

Powered by Renault Sport Racing’s R.E.17 power unit, the R.S.17 has no carry over parts from the R.S.16. The team has worked from a clean sheet of paper to respond to Formula 1’s latest regulations. 

It is the first Formula 1 car designed from the outset by Renault Sport Racing from its two locations in Enstone, England and Viry-Châtillon, France.

Present at the launch were Thierry Koskas, Groupe Renault Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Jérôme Stoll, President and Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director of Renault Sport Racing, as well as Renault Sport Formula One Team’s senior management and drivers, and Alain Prost as Renault Sport Racing Special Advisor.

The R.S.17 was unveiled by race drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Jolyon Palmer, whilst Third and Reserve Driver Sergey Sirotkin was also announced today.

The car was unveiled with the hashtag #RS17Launch.

The 2017 Renault Sport Academy line-up was also confirmed, with Jack Aitken, Max Fewtrell, Jarno Opmeer and Sun Yue Yang all being supported by Renault Sport Racing through their 2017 seasons. Jack will contest the GP3 Series, whilst Max, Jarno and Sun will contest the Formula Renault Eurocup in an historic-high 30-cars-grid.

Jérôme Stoll, President of Renault Sport Racing:

“The R.S.17 is the first car which Enstone and Viry have been able to plan and develop from the outset and we’re satisfied by the fruits of this interaction. It’s a beautiful car. As well as the excitement of the R.S.17 itself, we also have a highly important new partner in BP through their BP and Castrol brands. For 2017 our performance targets are clear. We want to take a definite, tangible step forward in performance and results. Fifth position in the Constructors’ Championship is our goal.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport Racing Managing Director:

“For 2017 we are perfectly placed to take the step forward we all desire. The R.S.17 is the result of many long working hours spent over our two integrated locations and the result is a car we can be proud of. We have a strong line-up of personnel at all levels of the team and we’re proud to see Nico and Sergey join Jolyon in 2017. We are joined by a strong group of partners with BP, Castrol, MAPFRE and SMP Racing representing the best pre-season sponsorship acquisition campaign in the paddock. We are the fastest growing F1 team and we now need to prove our performance on track. Our objective is to score points at every round.”

The last race of the 2016 season gives a double finish for the Renault team.

• Renault Sport Formula One Team concluded its first FIA Formula 1 Championship season with seventeenth position for Jolyon Palmer and an early retirement from Kevin Magnussen.
• Renault Sport Formula One Team ended the year in ninth position in the Constructors’ Championship with Kevin Magnussen sixteenth and Jolyon Palmer eighteenth in the Drivers’ Championship.

Jolyon made a great start from P15 to end the first lap in eleventh position, however he struggled with tyre degradation later in the race. 

He also received a five-second penalty for contact made with Carlos Sainz. Kevin’s final race for the team saw contact made at turn eight on the first lap. 

He pitted for a front-wing change, however he retired shortly afterwards due to suspension damage as a result of the first lap incident. 

Renault Sport Formula One Team ended the year in ninth position in the Constructors’ Championship with Kevin Magnussen sixteenth and Jolyon Palmer eighteenth in the Drivers’ Championship.

Kevin started the race from P18 with new set of Pirelli’s soft compound tyres. He stopped at the end of the first lap to replace his front wing and receive a new set of soft tyres following contact at turn eight. He retired with five laps completed.

Jolyon started the race from P15 on a set of Pirelli’s ultra soft tyres. He made a storming start to P11, pitting for sets of new soft tyres on laps 7 and 21. He made a final stop on lap 41 for a fresh set of the super soft tyres. 

Kevin Magnussen, #20, R.S.16-04: Started P18, DNF

“I made a poor start then was in a fight with Kvyat at turn eight when I had contact from another car – I think it was a Manor or a Sauber – and my suspension was damaged by this. 

We tried to continue but it was clear that something was broken. It wasn’t the way I wanted to end what I thought was a good season with a great bunch of people. 

Results-wise it hasn’t been the best but I’ve learned a lot, I’ve had a great time with the team and I got to know a lot of really good people. 

I wish Renault Sport all the best in the future and I’m sure we’ll all still have fun in the paddock.”

Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.16-05: Started P15, finished P17

“I had a really good start - up to eleventh - and was keeping pace with the Williams for a while, but unfortunately the tyre degradation was unbelievable for us. 

The overall pace was okay, but the tyres were running out, which meant I had to do three stops. I was trying to fight with everyone through the race but I had no grip which makes it very difficult. 

I tried to pass Carlos as he left a gap, but he braked a bit early and I had no grip to slow down. It’s a real shame.”

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

“That was not the Grand Prix we wanted to end our season. Kevin’s race was cut short as a result of front suspension damage sustained on the first lap then Jolyon’s great start didn’t translate to a great finish come the chequered flag. 

Today’s result should not detract from all the progress made at Viry and Enstone over the last year as we will be in a far better position to fight for more points next season. 

Thank you to Kevin in his final race for us, he is a popular driver and we wish him well for the future. Congratulations to this year’s champions, Nico Rosberg and Mercedes AMG. 

They have shown us how championships can be won with fine displays through the season. We hope to be giving them more of a challenge over the next few years.”

After a dreadful Brazilian F1 race with atrocious weather, Palmer crashed out & Magnussen finished in P14 from a p18 start.

Kevin started the race from P18 with a new set of Pirelli’s full wet tyres. He stopped on lap 7 for a new set of intermediate tyres, fitted new wets during the first red flag on lap 20, used wets during the second red flag on lap 28 and pitted on lap 41 for a new set of intermediate tyres.

Jolyon started the race in P16 on new wet tyres. He stopped on lap 9 for a new set of intermediate tyres and on lap 17 for a new set of wet tyres.

Kevin Magnussen, #20, R.S.16-04: Started P18, finished P14

“The conditions today were definitely testing, especially turn 12 which isn’t actually a corner in the dry but became a real corner in the wet! 

There was clear aquaplaning there, and even if there hadn’t been, it was still on the limit. I do wish we could have driven more today though. 

Of course you should have red flags to clear a crash and safety should always be the priority, but after that, I feel we were too careful with driving in the wet. At the end of the day, it’s up to us drivers to slow down enough to get around it. 

We just need to drive to the conditions and not go over the limit, which is exactly what we do in the dry.”

Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.16-05: Started P16, DNF

“The conditions this afternoon were very difficult and unfortunately we had to retire following contact with Kvyat. 

I had some more grip at that point on full wet tyres and I was faster than cars in front on intermediates. I wanted to make up some places. In the end the visibility was so bad that I couldn’t even see past my steering wheel. 

I didn’t see where the corner went, I knew that there was the pitwall and pitlane somewhere; I just couldn’t see anything. Kvyat in front of me was slower and I hit him. 

Around the lap, the visibility wasn’t too bad and there were some places where you aquaplaned but coming up the hill you had no traction and couldn’t see if you were behind anyone else. 

You had to guess where you were going, there was water on track and rivers of water running across. It was really tricky.”

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

“It was a tough afternoon for the team and a tricky race in wet weather conditions for everyone. The biggest issue we encountered was the performance of our car with the full wet tyres. 

We weren’t able to perform over long stints with these sets of tyres and had to switch to intermediate tyres whenever it was possible but in the end it wasn’t enough for us to get into the points with Kevin. 

Unfortunately Jolyon sustained front suspension damage when he hit Kvyat and we had to retire him. We are now looking forward to the ultimate race of the season in Abu Dhabi where I hope we can have a race in better conditions.”

British Driver Jolyon Palmer retains his seat with Renault for the 2017 Season and is joined by Nico Hulkenberg.

Renault Sport Formula One Team is proud to announce that it will retain Jolyon Palmer for the 2017 season. Jolyon will join the recently-announced Nico Hülkenberg to complete the team’s 2017 race driver line-up.

Twenty-five year old Jolyon joined Renault Sport Formula One Team’s predecessor Lotus F1 Team as Third Driver at the start of the 2015 season, graduating to race driver for 2016 with Renault Sport Formula One Team. 

To date he has started 18 Grands Prix, scoring his first World Championship point at this year’s Malaysian Grand Prix. He is the 2014 GP2 Series Champion.

Jérôme Stoll, Renault Sport Racing Chairman said: “We are delighted to retain Jolyon as our driver for the 2017 season. Jolyon has shown his hunger to develop with us as the team grows and we have been impressed with his increasingly strong performances on track as the season has progressed. We are confident that the combination of Jolyon and Nico Hülkenberg offers a very promising driving force to meet our goals. Jolyon understands the team’s spirit and motivates everyone he works with. The line-up of Jolyon and Nico harnesses the benefits of continuity and fresh blood. I am sure that having Nico as a team-mate will help push Jolyon to greater achievements. We thank Kevin Magnussen for his efforts in 2016 as he has done a great job for us this year. We wish him all the best for 2017 and beyond.”

Jolyon Palmer said: “I’m over the moon to be racing with Renault Sport Formula One Team for a second season and I can’t wait to reward the team’s faith in me on track. Having worked out of Enstone since 2015 I can fully appreciate the development of the infrastructure this year. This means I share the excitement of the team looking to 2017 and our new car. For me, it’s been a steep learning curve driving in Formula 1 and I know that I am performing better than ever, and that there’s still more to come. There is tremendous drive and enthusiasm in Enstone and Viry looking to next year and I am honoured to be part of this.”

Both Renaults finish the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix with Palmer gaining spots whilst Magnussen drops.

• Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Jolyon Palmer put in a strong and strategic charge from the back of the grid to take fourteenth in Sunday’s Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix.
• Jolyon started P21 and made a pit stop under the safety car at the end of the first lap. This meant he used Pirelli’s medium compound tyres for a massive 70-lap stint.
• Kevin Magnussen started from P14 and his race strategy was modified from a one to a two-stop strategy, with a final stint on the super soft tyres.

Kevin started the race from P14 with new set of Pirelli’s soft compound tyres. He stopped on lap 12 for a new set of medium tyres, then stopped on lap 51 for a new set of the super soft compound tyres.

Jolyon started the race from P21 – gaining one position as Romain Grosjean vacated the spot to start from the pit lane. Jolyon pitted at the end of the first lap under safety car conditions to exchange his new super soft tyres for a new set of mediums, which he ran with until the chequered flag.

Kevin Magnussen, #20, R.S.16-04: Started P14, finished P17

“Last weekend a late stint on the super soft tyres worked really well for us but today it wasn’t the same story. We just didn’t seem to have the outright pace we needed on any of the tyres we used. It was a frustrating race for me. My first set of soft tyres dropped away as we expected but then we didn’t seem to be able to maintain the pace on the medium tyres so we changed strategy to the super softs, but by then we were too far behind. I’m hoping that we can have a much better race in Brazil.”

Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.16-02: Started P21, finished P14

“I think fourteenth is as good as we could have got from starting at the back, so I’m happy! I had some really good fights with the McLaren guys, which was good fun, and 70 laps on one set of tyres is probably some sort of record… It was a bit of a challenge but in the end we were still going okay; we were quick enough to keep our competitors behind. All in all, I’m pretty happy with today.”

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

“Jolyon had a strong race where we made the most of an aggressive strategy and pitted him very early under the safety car. He drove 70 laps on the same set of tyres and was very consistent to finish in front of some of our nearest rivals. He put in a robust defence of his position, in particular against both Jenson and Fernando. It was a very strong race for him. Kevin had a puzzling race as he was well-placed at the start but he struggled for pace whatever the tyres. We’ll spend a lot of time checking the car and analysing the race to understand how we could have done better. For Brazil we certainly want both cars fighting for points."

Renault F1 is starting to perform better as the end of the season nears its climax, but it looks like Palmer is on his way out.

• Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Kevin Magnussen made a late charge to take P11 on track and thus finished just shy of the points in today’s United States Grand Prix. Kevin started from P18 on a planned one-stop strategy but as the race played out this was adapted to a two and finally a three-stop.
• Post-race Kevin was given a five-second penalty, meaning he was placed twelfth in the final classification.
• Jolyon Palmer finished in P13 using a two-stop strategy.

Kevin started the race from P18 with new set of Pirelli’s soft compound tyres. He stopped on lap 13 for another new set of soft tyres, switched to new medium compound tyres on lap 27 and then new super soft tyres on lap 43.

Jolyon started the race in P15 on new soft tyres. He stopped on lap 15 for a new set of soft compound tyres and on lap 26 for a final set of new medium tyres.

Kevin Magnussen, #20, R.S.16-04: Started P18, finished P11, P12 after penalty:

“We started with the plan for a one-stop strategy but we quickly realised that it wasn’t the best option so we swapped to a two and finally a three-stop strategy. It was tougher on tyre wear than we predicted but that did mean I was able to have some fun at the end of the race on the super soft tyres – it was the most fun I’ve had in the car all season being able to push hard to the chequered flag. It was a pretty decent race considering our qualifying position. The penalty is frustrating, but that’s racing sometimes.”

Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.16-05: Started P15, finished P13:

“I had a slow start and unfortunately lost a few places that allowed Kevin to pass me, which then meant I was on his gearbox for a good two-thirds of the race. We were really struggling to follow other cars and although I was quicker, I couldn’t get close enough to pass which was so frustrating. I could have tried to lunge but that’s not a clever thing to do between team-mates. In the end, I overheated my tyres trying to overtake and fell back a little bit.”

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal:

“I’m in two minds about today’s Grand Prix. I’m happy we were able to adapt our strategy well as the race evolved, however at times our race pace was not as consistent as we’d like. In our first stint we didn’t seem to make progress yet at times we did see both cars deliver very good lap times considering their respective tyre conditions. We will be very vigilant in our post-race analysis to understand where we can better maximise our opportunities in the future. We finished just shy of the points today, but in the points is where we want to be.”

Japanese F1 Renault finish with both drivers, with each gaining places on their starting grid line ups.

• Renault Sport Formula One Team team-mates Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen drove a measured Emirates Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka today.
• The team opted for a one-stop tyre strategy for the 53-lap race, with both Jolyon and Kevin fighting in the middle of the pack throughout and taking the chequered flag in P12 and P14 respectively.
• Jolyon gained four and Kevin three places from their starting positions.

Kevin started the race from P17 with new set of Pirelli’s hard compound tyres. He stopped on lap 25 for a new set of medium tyres.

Jolyon started the race in P16 on new medium tyres. He stopped on lap 25 for a new set of hard tyres.

Kevin Magnussen, #20, R.S.16-04: Started P17, finished P14

“I started the race on hard tyres against others around me on the softs and mediums – it was always going to be tough today. We can’t be completely satisfied with today’s race after scoring points in the last two races but we will work hard to get back into point-scoring position in the coming races. The next round is in the USA and it’s a pretty cool track to drive so I look forward to being there next.”

Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.16-05: Started P16, finished P12

“Tenth last week, twelfth this week, but this week everyone finished the race! We had a lot of luck last week and I think today was actually a stronger performance. We beat everyone that we could this afternoon. I’m pleased with how we went, the strategy, the pace, performance… Everything was good.”

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

“It was a good weekend for us in terms of performance, with our best Free Practice 3 to date where we were in the top ten. Qualifying, however, was a bit disappointing. Of course Jolyon got into Q2, but I think that we could have done better overall on Saturday afternoon. Our race pace was similar again to what we had seen in FP3; we fought with Williams in terms of pace until the end of the race and we were in front of McLaren and Toro Rosso. Today’s race confirmed that we have gone a step forward in pure performance, despite a tricky qualifying session on Saturday. Overall the weekend has been encouraging and both drivers did a solid job in the race with a strategy that worked well for the team.”

Palmer finishes the latest F1 round with 1 point, his first, as Magnussen fails to finish the Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix

• Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Jolyon Palmer scored his first FIA Formula One World Championship point in today’s hot and fast-paced Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix. Jolyon put his disappointment from yesterday’s qualifying behind him to deliver in emphatic fashion his tenth-placed finish from P19 on the grid, thanks to a one-stop tyre strategy.
• Kevin Magnussen was unable to translate Saturday’s qualifying form into a race result as contact back and front on the first lap damaged a brake cooling drum fence. Kevin’s brakes subsequently became unsustainably hot, which meant retirement from the race was the only option.

Kevin started the race from P14 with new set of Pirelli’s medium compound tyres. He stopped at the end of the first lap to replace a damaged front wing and change to a new set of Pirelli’s hard compound tyres. He retired on lap 17 due to overheating brakes.

Jolyon started the race in P19 on new hard tyres. He stopped on lap 31 for a new set of soft tyres.

Kevin Magnussen, #20, R.S.16-04: Started P14, DNF

“I was the filling in the sandwich as everyone reacted to the Vettel / Rosberg incident at the start. Everyone braked and went for the inside of the corner which isn’t great if you’re already at the inside of the corner and have contact from behind pushing you forward. 

That’s motor racing sometimes. We changed the front wing and kept pushing, however the brake cooling was damaged, and the brake temperature kept climbing, so we had to retire. 

Nevertheless it’s been a promising weekend. We continue to extract more pace from the car and we’ll be pushing to keep this level of performance. I scored last time out; Jo scored today. Points are what we all want to see.”

Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.16-05: Started P19, finished P10

“Point-scorer: It feels good! I’m really happy, I think the whole week has been really positive. The race was really smooth – I wish it was always so straightforward! 

I was really disappointed with how qualifying went especially as I’d been feeling strong all weekend, so I’m glad the race went really well and we could make up for it today. The car gave me everything I needed, we handled the tyres well and the team did a great job with strategy and pit stops. 

We got a little bit of a break as well; finally everything came together and we got it home to P10!”

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

“Congratulations to Jo for scoring his first point in Formula One. After a disappointing qualifying yesterday he got his head down and delivered a very good race. 

We ran to an aggressive strategy and Jo did everything required to make this work so a great effort from him and the team today. Kevin was unfortunate to be caught out as the result of an incident ahead on the first lap. 

Thanks to his strong qualifying, he was well placed for a decent points-scoring position, but there was nothing he could do. Today we saw once more that everyone in the team is pushing in the same direction and we will continue to fight for every point possible for the remaining five races this season.”

Renault manages to finish the latest F1 GP in Singapore with both drivers, Palmer outside the points with Magnussen 10th.

• Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Kevin Magnussen enjoyed his and the team’s second highest finish of the season with tenth position in the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix. Kevin took advantage of a stellar start and ran for most of the race inside the top ten.
• Jolyon Palmer was not so lucky today, with a suspected slow puncture from debris at the start of the race forcing an earlier than planned first pit stop. Running thereafter out of sequence, Jolyon finished in fifteenth.

Kevin started the race from P15 with new set of Pirelli’s purple ultra soft compound tyres.

Jolyon started the race in P18 on new super soft tyres. With a suspected slow puncture he pitted on lap 11 for a set of new super softs. He made a second stop on lap 34 for a set of new softs.

Kevin Magnussen, #20, R.S.16-04: Started P15, finished P10

“I’m very happy for the whole team as this must be a boost for all of us. It’s been a very demanding season as we all want to score points at every race, but that’s not been possible. Nevertheless we all keep fighting and a result like today shows why we fight and why we never give up. The team nailed it with the strategy, with the start and with the balance of the car. To drive a race like this and not to win it; it feels strange because for me it felt perfect.”

Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.16-05: Started P18, finished P15

“That was a tough race and we didn’t have any breaks come our way. I lost out with the shenanigans at the start and probably collected some debris as I had an early slow puncture too. We pitted pretty early and this meant we had to run for longer subsequent stints which meant nursing the tyres more than if we’d run the more balanced stint length planned. I lost a lot of time behind the Manors but it wasn’t possible to pass them on this track. The positive from today is we’ve seen that there’s still scope to get points if everything goes your way; that’s what I’m gunning for in Sepang.”

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

“A strong and measured race from Kevin with some great strategy and exceptional pit stop work meant we scored for the second time this season. Jolyon kept pushing despite a frustrating race for him with a slow puncture early on. We can see how everyone at Enstone and Viry, whether at the track or back at base, keeps on pushing and we will continue to do this no matter how difficult the challenge.”