Renault's 2017 driver line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer shows the team's intent for next season, according to team principal Frederic Vasseur.
Hulkenberg was recruited from Force India despite having a year left on his contract, with the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hour winner signing a multi-year deal at Enstone. He will be paired with Palmer, with the British driver having showed steady progress during his rookie year with the team this season.
Vasseur says the pairing has the right balance of Hulkenberg's experience from other teams and Palmer's knowledge of Renault's recent history.
“Our driver line-up for 2017 shows our intent and aspirations," Vasseur said. "Nico comes to the team at a perfect time for both us and him. He has experience of working with different teams, including those we expect to be our rivals next season. As well as a significant amount of experience, he has youth and hunger on his side. He has been a driver hungry for the right opportunity to help build a team and we are that team. It’s a perfect match.
“Jolyon has shown great development over the course of his rookie season with us, combined with his motivating approach and team spirit, and we feel we have a very good driver line-up for what we want to achieve in 2017.”
Renault originally approached Kevin Magnussen about signing a one year deal to remain with the team alongside Hulkenberg, but the Dane opted to join Haas having felt there was a lack of commitment from Renault's side.
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