Eric Boullier: Don’t Write Off Renault F1 Yet
Before Renault’s 2010 Formula One crusade even kicked off, most had already given up on the French squad. A substantial portion of the team had been traded by their parent corporation, and a test assessment before the beginning of the season saw the R30 put on a less than satisfying display. The team had taken on board a debutant driver and a team boss who was previously unaccustomed to Formula One politics to spearhead their 2010 campaign. Yet, as if oblivious to the scepticism, the Renault team held their heads high and launched a determined bid to climb up the points table. And sure enough, the squad’s resilience has paid off, as is evident on the results sheets. With the 2010 Formula One season hitting the midway mark, Renault is perched at a decent fifth spot on the standings and has made it to the podium twice.
When asked whether everything had so far proceeded according to plan for his squad, the Renault team premier Eric Boullier remarked that he was highly satisfied with the ever advancing spectacle of the R30, which at the beginning of the season had left much to be desired in terms of race-winning prowess. At the recent European Grand Prix, Renault managed to move nine points nearer to their closest rivals, Mercedes. Mr. Boullier asserted that his side had done well to build on Mercedes’ uncharacteristically out of sorts performance at the Valencia street circuit. But he was also quick to point out that Ross Brawn’s side was sure to pick up pace in the coming events and give Renault a tough run for the fourth place till the very end of the 2010 run.
Boullier also professed the team to be content with the progress made by rookie signee, Vitaly Petrov. The Renault head was keen to emphasize that unlike the other incomers who had taken to the circuit, Vitaly had considerably less Formula One mileage to his name. He remarked that others like BMW Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi and William’s Nico Hülkenberg had enjoyed sufficient Formula One test outings prior to their elevation to the first-choice spots, whereas February of this year marked Vitaly’s very initial stint in a Formula One car. Boullier elaborated that his Russian front-man had faced a tough job making up for the missing background and demonstrated some natural pace in recent runs. But it was crucial for Vitaly to refine his technique so as to begin making a meaningful contribution to the squad’s points struggle, the team principal added.
Quizzed about his team’s game plan for the rest of the season, Boullier admitted the squad would be embarking on a course of action slightly at variance with the tactics followed in the past few months. The Renault leading man admitted there was room for great deal of improvement as his side was yet not in the position to contest for pole standings and race victories. Boullier said there would have to be a trade-off between the resources allocated to this season’s campaign and the coming 2011 showdown, and that the team needed to pass a sensible verdict over the matter soon. He said that squad engineers were already working on the production of a car for the 2011 campaign when his side hoped to realistically challenge for the title with a state-of-the-art vehicle.
With the Renault Formula One headquarters based in England, the squad can be said to have a home advantage at the upcoming British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Team boss Boullier remarked that although its production unit was based in Enstone, Britain, Renault palpably remained a French enterprise. However, he pointed out that since the French Grand Prix had been erased from the calendar, the Silverstone event had understandably assumed a greater significance for his side. Boullier said that the French side had high expectations in Britain from the recently enhanced R30, and hoped that the Silverstone circuit would present his squad with ample overtaking opportunities.
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