Interview with Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Renault,
broadcast at the 2006 Renault F1 Team Launch.
What were the benefits to Renault of the championship
win in 2005?
Well, there were a lot of benefits. Firstly, I think it was,
without any doubt, a great boost to the morale of everybody
inside Renault. I am talking about Renault employees, Renault
partners, Renault dealers, everybody was very happy because
it was a good show, it was a good competition and at the end,
Renault won.
On top of this, I think there is a boost in the knowledge
of the brand. Obviously the brand in known in Europe or in
France, there is no doubt that everybody knows that we are
competing there and making a good show in Formula One. But
when you go to countries where Renault is not as known as
in Europe, like India, or China, or Japan and South-east Asia,
then having a good competition, and winning in Formula One,
give a big boost and a big improvement in terms of the knowledge,
and I would say fame of the brand.
Furthermore, I should say that one of the reasons for which
we had the double championship was the reliability of the
car. The car never failed, or at least failed much, much less
than other competitors, and this is extremely important because
it is something we would like consumers to associate with
the Renault brand.
What are the team's objectives for 2006?
To offer a good show, to compete at the highest level and
to win again.
What is the future of Formula One at Renault?
As long as we continue to perform well, we offer a good show,
and obviously we are at the top level of Formula One, then
there are not questions about the future in Formula One.
Obviously, there is some uncertainty about the conditions
in which Formula One will evolve beginning in 2008. This is
not a preoccupation of Renault alone, it is a preoccupation
for all manufacturers trying to figure out what will be the
environment of Formula 1.
But if I eliminate this uncertainty, if I consider that we
are going to come to a good resolution of the questions we
have, and that Formula One will continue to have a good, fair
return on investments for car manufacturers in general and
for the winner in particular, then we must be there.
In the meantime, I am counting on the Renault F1 Team, on
the team we have in Enstone and the people in Viry-Châtillon
to really perform well, to offer us a good show and hopefully
bring back the trophy again in 2006.
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