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.”

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."