Renault F1 Team launches 2006 championship campaign in Monaco,
targets aggressive defence of world titles
 The
Renault F1 Team today launched its 2006 world championship
challenger, the R26, in Monaco with the promise of an aggressive
defence of the team's double world championship.
In front of world-wide media and VIP guests in Monte-Carlo,
the world champion Renault F1 Team today officially launched
its 2006 championship campaign with a clear objective: defending
the world championship with an aggressive approach to the
2006 season.
"In terms of performance objectives, there can be only
one: to be fighting for the world championship in the final
races," explained Renault F1 Team President Patrick Faure.
"We enter the year with an unchanged line-up in our management,
our drivers and our technical team. Everybody at Viry and
Enstone has been working to prepare a technical package capable
of keeping us at the top. Complacency has no place at Renault.
We are focused on repeating our successes."
For 2006, the Renault F1 Team has adapted to significant
changes in the technical regulations governing Formula 1.
Teams must now run with 2.4L V8 engines (instead of the 3L
V10 used in 2005) which have been introduced in order to cap
performance, with an initial reduction in power of approximately
20%. These regulations have been framed in order to reduce
the potential for development in the medium and long term,
thus cutting costs. The change has necessitated the design
and development of a brand new engine, the RS26, by the team
at Viry-Châtillon. This project has been led since its
inception in September 2004 by Léon Taillieu, under
the leadership of Engine Technical Director Rob White.
"The RS26 is a brand new engine, which has been designed
to exploit the new regulations to the maximum," explains
Rob White. "The regulations now impose many parameters
of engine design, such as a minimum weight limit, a fixed
architecture and even the centre of gravity. We have taken
a pragmatic approach with the aim of producing a winning engine.
The dialogue with our colleagues on the chassis team has been
open and extensive, to produce the best possible overall package.
We have approached the V8 project with relish, and high ambitions."
The package that has been developed around this new V8 powerplant,
is the R26 chassis. The work of a team led by Chief Designer
Tim Densham, and guided by Chassis Technical Director Bob
Bell, the car represents an aggressive evolution of the championship-winning
design philosophy from 2005. Although the aerodynamic regulations
have remained stable, the team has designed a brand new package
to further optimise chassis performance.
"We have worked on improving the car in every area,"
reveals Bob Bell. "We have integrated the challenges
posed by the new V8 engine, and continued on our performance
development path. The most striking visual difference comes
in the smaller sidepods on the car, but the entire aerodynamic
package is new. We will also use a 7-speed gearbox, to best
exploit the power and torque characteristics of the new engine.
Of course, we have also worked to maintain the positive handling
characteristics that made the car easy to drive last year.
The R26 is an aggressive statement from the team, and it says
that we mean to stay on top in 2006."
The R26 ran for the first time in Jerez, Spain on 10 January,
and has since completed over 2700 km in the hands of both
race drivers. Initial indications on both performance and
reliability have been very encouraging.
The race driver line-up for the Renault F1 Team continues
unchanged in 2006. The pairing of Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo
Fisichella is among the most complete on the grid, and in
the coming season, they will be supported by Finn Heikki Kovalainen
as test and third driver, after he finished runner-up in the
inaugural GP2 series championship in 2005.
World Champion Fernando Alonso will enter the season as the
man to beat in Formula 1. After being crowned the sport's
youngest champion in 2005, he will hope to defend his world
title with the same blend of aggression and precision that
defined his driving last year. Although this will be his final
season with the Renault F1 Team, the Spaniard enters the new
season fully focused on the challenge ahead.
"2006 is a brand new challenge for me," comments
Alonso. "Everything begins again this year. At this stage,
it doesn't mean anything to say you can win the title –
but I certainly want to be fighting for it. Renault has the
potential and the team has the confidence that we can do it
from last year. My first impressions of the car have been
very positive, and we seem to be competitive with the quickest
teams. My goal is to defend the number 1 on the nose of the
R26."
For team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, 2006 will be a year of
confirmation. After finishing fifth in last year's world championship,
and playing a key role in Renault's conquest of the constructors'
title, the Italian is aiming to establish himself at the front
of the field this year, and to fight for the world title.
"It is simple for me: I am aiming for the world championship,"
stated Fisichella. "This is a team that is defending
the world title and working hard to win it again, so I am
looking forward to a great season. There will be a good rivalry
with Fernando. And from my point of view, I want to score
points, win races and be in the fight for the championship."
The final piece in the jigsaw comes in the form of an unchanged
portfolio of investment, from the team's partners and official
suppliers. In 2005, the Renault F1 Team provided the best
value for money on the Formula 1 grid, achieving a winning
return on investment for its partner companies. It is a point
that Managing Director Flavio Briatore highlights with pride,
as he lays down the gauntlet for 2006.
"We have a simple rule: the priority is what makes the
car go faster," concludes Briatore. "We are proud
of the efficiency of the team. Last year, Renault won the
championship with three times' less money than some of our
competitors. There is always pressure at the start of a championship,
and there is no point hiding from it now. 2005 was an exceptional
season for us, and we hope to do it again this year."
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