Formula One: Renault - Patchy Performer to Monopolist?
Renault F1 is the Renault Company’s official racing team. Based in France, the team has been able to make its presence felt both as an engine supplier and as constructor. Noted for their recurring disappearing and reappearing acts
since debuting in the 1977 British Grand Prix, the team has been able to build on a relatively stable stint after signing in Fernando Alonso as they won the championship in 2005 and 2006.
Progress has been rather shady since the advent of the Spanish driver however. The team has neither been able to reclaim the Constructor’s Championships, nor have they made their mark in the driver’s standings since.
Things went from bad to worse after the Race fixing allegations in 2009. The issue was about Nelson Piquet Jr’s controversial crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix which effectively ensured a race win for team mate Fernando Alonso.
“The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering,
Pat Symonds, have left the team.”, according to the Renault F1 on 16th September in 2009.
-Another twist in the tail-
Despite things being not as sunny for team Renault, the French giants have been able to make positive inroads in the multimillion dollar sport; cementing their credentials as the best engine supplier this year. Renault powered,
Red Bull Racing currently sit at the top of the Constructor’s and Driver’s standings. The other two leading constructors Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes run on their parent company’s engine.
“This drive is a fantastic opportunity and I am looking forward to helping the team in every way I can, as well as gaining experience on four of the most demanding tracks of the F1 calendar. Looking at the 2011 season, this will
be very useful.”
These were the views of Virgin recruit Jerome D’Ambrosio. The 25 year old former GP2 and Renault test driver is expected to run in car 25 for the length of the first practice session, alongside Timo Glock. Ambrosio started his
GP2 season racing alongside Williams’ driver Kamui Kobayashi for the DAM team, a crew noted for having prominent connections with the Renault F1 team.
Announcing his availability to feature for the Virgin racing team does make one curious. It is with respect to Renault’s potential involvement in the lower end F1 table. The Renault team had obvious connections with the DAM GP2
team. This made it rather, an exclusive shot snatching up the young prodigy for themselves. Introducing a driver with D’Ambrosio’s GP2 credentials to the biggest stage motorsport has to offer and then seeing him sign for Virgin within the same year might get
a conspiracy theorist at the edge of his seat – Could this move merely be a part of the 24 year old’s education for a possible Renault spot in the future? It is no secret that Renault shall be the engine manufacturer for Lotus in 2011, despite it being argued
that the inconsistent team basically requires a working, reliable gearbox to fix their inability to finish Grand Prix’s in one piece on numerous amount of times this season. The resultant could be seen as a potential Renault monopoly as the man and machine
connection with both teams could be seen as a ploy to strengthen their connections in the tail end of the competition.
However, these are merely conspiracy theories and reflect a rather extreme view; a single minded justification for what is happening and its possible link to the future.
Every coin has two sides. Every assumed right has a countering wrong and vice versa. Objectivity is often challenged by the subjectivity of the masses. Therefore, the matter at hand could be seen with a number of other perspectives.
The idealist might interpret the matter owing to the latest rumours in the tabloids that sees the French team linked with Kimi Raikkonen next season - discarding their test driver, Jerome D’Ambrosio, could mean Kimi partnering up with Kubica – suggesting a
demotion from the starting lineup to third choice for an under-performing Vitaly Petrov, currently in 13th… Or perhaps, there would always be a realist that might simply close the file on Jerome D’Ambrosio on the basis that he simply wasn’t good
enough for the Renault F1 team; after all, he was ‘runner-up’ to Kobayashi.
Tags: