Speaking at the launch of his team's 2006 contender, Renault F1 Team President, Patrick Faure, made it quite clear that having won both titles in 2005, the French manufacturer wants more of the same in 2006.
For the Renault F1 Team, the motif of 2006 is continuity. We enter the year with an unchanged line-up in our management, our drivers and our technical team. What is more, we hold the title of world champions, and since mid-way through last season, our groups at Viry-Châtillon and Enstone have been working to their maximum to ensure we maintain consistency of performance in 2006. In terms of performance objectives, there can be only one: to be fighting for the world championship in the final races.
After winning both world titles in 2005, it might be tempting to think that Renault has achieved its objectives in Formula 1. We are here to win, and we have done so. But this is a team of true racers and competitors. Winning just once is not enough, and our team has been built to maintain this level of performance.
Nor indeed is solitary success sufficient for the Renault Group. We must continue winning to draw full value from our Formula 1 involvement, and capitalise on the fact that we are champions. 2006 will be a year of renewal for Renault, and the Formula One programme has an important role to play in that project. World championship success has energised the image of the Renault Group. In the medium term, this will allow us to
develop increasingly dynamic road products and derive increased commercial return on our investment. But in the immediate future, it also demonstrates values of performance, technical excellence and reliability, which represent a formidable platform to accompany our commercial expansion into new markets such as China and Russia. Mobilising the company to pass this message to our customers will be a priority in 2006.
Our driver line-up will certainly be the subject of much speculation this season as people look to 2007. We will make our decisions in due course, as befits a leading team. The current focus is firmly on the coming season. Fernando Alonso is a committed, professional sportsman. It will be important for his reputation to maintain his effort and performance until the end of 2006. He enters the year as world champion, and will be determined to do justice to that title. Giancarlo Fisichella played a valuable role in our 2005 championship victory. He demonstrated remarkable mental strength in overcoming a number of challenges, and is now fully integrated in the team. I am sure he can establish his presence at the front of the field this year. The entire team expects intense rivalry and exemplary teamwork from our drivers:
For every team on the grid, success in 2006 will once again rest upon how successfully they can adapt to change. The introduction of new V8 engine regulations will place an even greater premium on finding the delicate balance between reliability and performance. It was a challenge at which our team excelled in 2005, accompanied by our technical partner Elf, and we are extremely pleased with the results of the RS26 so far.
Revised tyre regulations once again mean Michelin are faced with new challenges as the year approaches. This will be their final season in Formula 1, and we are confident that with ever closer collaboration between our technical teams, we can make it a winning one.
The 2005 season provided fans of Formula 1 worldwide with a compelling spectacle, and we hope to see more of the same in 2006. We can expect an intense battle at the front of the field between ourselves, McLaren, a resurgent Ferrari and perhaps other challengers. That has been our preoccupation this winter: preparing a technical response capable of keeping us at the top. Complacency has no place at Renault. We are focused on repeating our successes.
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