Renault have taken the covers off their new RS.17 ahead of this year’s championship beginning in Australia next month.
Launching the car in London at the Royal Horticultural Hall, the event was a corporate affair, before drivers Nico Hulkenberg, Jolyon Palmer & reserve Sergey Sirotkin were at hand to show off their new car in a flashy display of strobe lighting.
It is the first car that Renault have been able to design and develop in cooperation with Infiniti since returning to the sport last year after buying the remains of the Lotus team.
The car features a new black and yellow livery, as well as Castrol sponsorship on the endplates of the front and rear wings.
Like the Sauber and Williams that have been seen so far, Renault also have a thumb-tipped nose and shark fin rear bodywork; both of which are expected to be commonplace among the 2017 cars.
Renault’s new RE17 engine will also be used, which is completely new for this season and allegedly contains highly aggressive designs in a bid to catch up to Mercedes and Ferrari.
The team has seen several changes in personnel over the winter. Fred Vasseur stepped away from his role of Team Principal, and former Red Bull man Pete Machin has bene recruited as Head of Aerodynamics.
Nico Hulkenberg made his first appearance as a Renault driver, having moved from Force India, alongside Jolyon Palmer and reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin.
Sirotkin has been announced as staying on for another year with the team, having been signed in the early .Sp5rl!47rs of last year.
The team also revealed that Alain Prost, who heads up the marque’s Formula E team, will also have a role this year as a Special Advisor. While this role won’t encompass day to day duties, the former F1 Champion will offer advice from behind the curtain throughout the year as the team adjust to the all new technical regulations.
Chief Technical Officer Bob Bell welcomed the new regulations, saying that the increased demands on the drivers can only lead to fresh challenges.
More to follow…
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