Renault Sport Racing has sealed a partnership with the famous Winfield Racing School to offer driving programmes to motorsport enthusiasts and professional drivers alike at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The association will pursue the dual goals of making F1 more accessible to recreational drivers and helping professional drivers with their development, with an eclectic range of Renault cars available at the returning French Grand Prix venue.
The list of vehicles include a V8-powered F1 car, a Formula Renault 2.0, an R.S.01, a Clio RS and a Megane RS Trophy. A dedicated technical crew of 14 experienced F1 engineers and mechanics from the team overseeing the programme ensuring the reliability, performance and safety of the Formula 1 and R.S.01 cars.
“The launch of this partnership with Winfield marks an important step in Renault’s determination to share its passion for its racing activities,” Renault Sport Racing managing director Cyril Abiteboul said.
“Enthusiasts will discover Renault racing cars up to the ultimate level of motorsport, Formula 1 at one of the most beautiful circuits in the world. This ties in with our ambition to make the return of the Formula 1 French Grand Prix in 2018 more than just a one-off event.
“Professional drivers will have the opportunity to drive modern racing cars with tailor-made programmes developed and run by our F1 engineers. The state-of-the-art installation will also give us the opportunity to run events for our team partners.”
Set up in 1964, the Winfield Racing School helped propel the likes of Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Didier Pironi, Jacques Laffite and Jean Alesi towards Formula 1. Its alumni’s achievements include some 90 grand prix race wins and five Formula 1 World Championship titles.
“Winfield’s promise is experience, emotion, engagement and exclusivity,” President Frédéric Garcia said. “The driving programme developed with Renault clearly adheres to these promises.
“Spectating at a Formula 1 Grand Prix is a very nice experience, however to be behind the wheel of a modern F1 car enhances greatly these emotions and offers the most exclusive of experiences.
“Participants will get a unique taste of the complexity of this fabulous sport as they experience the extreme physical and mental demands of the high tech environment of Formula 1. Thanks to Renault and Winfield, anyone participating in this programme will never again watch a Grand Prix in the same way as before.”
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