21/02/2017
NEWS STORY
Renault has taken the wraps off its 2017 contender, the R.S.17, in London.
Highlighting new partners and sponsors including BP, Castrol and MAPFRE, the launch was also the first public revealing of the new Renault Sport brand identity, designed to provide a stronger link between Renault Sport Racing and Renault Sport Cars.
Powered by Renault Sport Racing's R.E.17 power unit, the R.S.17 has no carry over parts from the R.S.16. The team has worked from a clean sheet of paper in response to the latest regulations.
It is the first Formula 1 car designed from the outset by Renault Sport Racing from its two locations in Enstone, England and Viry-Chatillon.
Present at the launch were Thierry Koskas, Groupe Renault Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Jérôme Stoll, President and Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director of Renault Sport Racing, as well as Renault Sport Formula One Team's senior management and drivers, and Alain Prost as Renault Sport Racing Special Advisor.
The R.S.17 was unveiled by drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer, whilst third and reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin was also announced.
"The R.S.17 is the first car which Enstone and Viry have been able to plan and develop from the outset," said Jérôme Stoll, President of Renault Sport Racing, "and we're satisfied by the fruits of this interaction. It's a beautiful car. As well as the excitement of the R.S.17 itself, we also have a highly important new partner in BP through their BP and Castrol brands. For 2017 our performance targets are clear. We want to take a definite, tangible step forward in performance and results. Fifth position in the Constructors' Championship is our goal."
"For 2017 we are perfectly placed to take the step forward we all desire," added Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport Racing Managing Director. "The R.S.17 is the result of many long working hours spent over our two integrated locations and the result is a car we can be proud of. We have a strong line-up of personnel at all levels of the team and we're proud to see Nico and Sergey join Jolyon in 2017. We are joined by a strong group of partners with BP, Castrol, MAPFRE and SMP Racing representing the best pre-season sponsorship acquisition campaign in the paddock. We are the fastest growing F1 team and we now need to prove our performance on track. Our objective is to score points at every round."
The 2017 Renault Sport Academy line-up was also confirmed, with Jack Aitken, Max Fewtrell, Jarno Opmeer and Sun Yue Yang all being supported by Renault Sport Racing through their 2017 seasons. Jack will contest the GP3 Series, whilst Max, Jarno and Sun will contest the Formula Renault Eurocup in an historic-high 30-cars-grid.