Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsRenault

Renault team 'a long term project', says Vasseur

Frédéric Vasseur has declared the new Renault works team to be a work in progress and very much 'a long term project', as the squad continues to rebuild what until last year had been the financially ailing Lotus F1 Team, before it was bought out by the French engine manufacturer over the winter.

"We know it’s a long term project, but that doesn’t mean we will sit back," said Vassuer, who was previously boss of GP2 Series team ART Grand Prix before taking over at Renault.

"We know that it’s unlikely that we will be on the podium or win races in 2016, but that is certainly our longer term aim. That doesn’t mean we are sitting back. We are determined to get the very best results at every race. We are racers, we will push."

"I want everyone fighting as hard for the position in front whether it’s P10 or P1. That’s how we’ll regain the success we want."

Vasseur said that he was happy with the way that the new team was coming together so far under its new management even though neither Kevin Magnussen nor Jolyon Palmer has yet managed to finish in the top ten in the first two races of 2016.

"Honestly, I can say I am impressed. The push and drive from the team is strong," he said. "We are generally where we expected to be, but equally some way short of where we all want to be.

"That is not to say there are not improvements to be made. As everyone is learning, I am a stern taskmaster and there are many elements and details we’ll address.

"The key to success in motor racing is not just one aspect, it’s focusing on every detail. By making many small improvements we will work forwards.

"We have finished both races so far as the first car outside of the points, so inside the points is where we need to be. For this we don’t only need to add performance to the car, we need to ensure our weekends are mistake-free in every aspect."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.