Constructors' earnings a 'big boost' for Renault - Prost

Renault's successful last-ditch effort to secure sixth in the Constructor's standings was worth an extra $6.5m in earnings to the team, and it's a welcome bonus insists Alain Prost.

The French outfit jumped mid-field rival Toro Rosso at the ultimate round of the championship, in Abu Dhabi.

But even for a works team like Renault, the extra money is an important inflow, and one that will be put to good use.

"The money is important, because when you get more money, other teams get less!" team advisor Alain Prost told Motorsport.com.

"And also the fact is that the last race is very important, it gives the motivation to the people during the winter, they feel a little bit less pressure, they are happier to work."

• Prost: 'Renault will deliver in two years time'

Prost cast a positive look on Renault's season, with constant progress achieved throughout the year as the team continues to invest for the future.

"If you make a summary of the season, sixth position is not too bad," added the Frenchman.

"At the end of the second part of the season we were very close to being most of the time the fourth team in terms of performance.

"We had reliability problems, and when you have reliability problems, you have to go down in terms of performance.

"It's not an excuse, but what we showed in Abu Dhabi was when we put everything together, with the pressure we had, we can manage to do it.

"If we wanted to, we could go a little bit more, but we also wanted to be a little bit safe.

"The gap to the front is still big, but at least you start like this to make everything a little bit better. So it's very positive.

"We are also going to improve the performance of the engine, but it's always a risk, it's always a challenge for us."

With McLaren receiving a fresh supply of Renault engines in 2018, the manufacturer will find itself directly pitted against two high-profile customer teams - McLaren and Red Bull Racing.

But Prost views the increased competition and the inevitable comparison it will produce as a healthy emulation.

"It will make pressure, for sure," admits the four-time world champion.

"Because we will have one more competitor in our field. But we know that and we hope that it's going to be positive pressure, and it's a fact that we have to beat everybody."

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