Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul insists the team will not let its struggles this season compromise its 2017 preparations.
Having returned to F1 as a full constructor this season, the late confirmation of the deal to acquire Lotus has led to Renault starting the year on the back foot. With an underdeveloped car, Abiteboul says there will be upgrades introduced to improve performance but the main focus must remain on next year's regulation changes.
"I can’t hide the fact that the last race in China didn’t meet our expectations," Abiteboul said. "We haven’t taken it lightly, but we now need to draw a line under the first three races of the season.
"The reality is that we need to keep pushing and improve overall performance, but without compromising on our 2017 potential, which is where our best chance of success lies.
"We can take inspiration from the solid work we have done on the engine, which now needs to replicated on the chassis side.
"That said, there’s a lot to look forward to in Russia, which is an important market for Renault. We have always aimed to use F1 as a vehicle for local market activities, as we did in China. We expect to have some other exciting announcements in the near future."
Renault has yet to score a point in the opening three rounds of the season and the Chinese Grand Prix saw Jolyon Palmer finish last of the 22 runners.
From the cockpit: Felipe Nasr on Sauber's Chinese Grand Prix
Mercedes: A morning with the champions
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
