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2010 F1 COMMITMENT

For more than 30 years, Renault and F1 have been pursuing a shared aim: to push back the limits of sport and technology.

R30 Formula 1, svelte and attractive

R30 Formula 1

The Renault F1 saga

In January 2010, the Renault F1 Team took the covers off the R30, at the Valencia circuit in Spain.

With stable aero regulations the R30 is a mixture of evolution and revolution, and is much more svelte and attractive than its predecessor. In particular the rear of the car has been considerably reworked to allow the car to make the most of the ‘double-decker’ diffusers that were first seen last year.

Changes have also been made to the architecture of the chassis to adapt to the refuelling ban, which has required the installation of a much larger fuel tank.

Renault F1 Team driver Robert Kubica was on hand to unveil the car and reveal the exciting new black and yellow livery – the iconic colours made famous by Renault in the 1980s.

Team Principal Eric Boullier also presented Vitaly Petrov as Robert’s teammate for the 2010 season. The 25-year-old finished as runner-up in the GP2 Series last year and becomes the first Russian driver to race in Formula One.

Two questions to Robert Kubica

Robert, you’ve had a long association with Renault throughout your career and now you’re racing for Renault in F1. How does it feel?

I’m very happy to be here and, as you say, I do have a long history with Renault. In fact my single-seater career started in a Formula Renault in 2001 and then in 2005 I won the World Series by Renault. That gave me the chance to test for the Renault F1 Team and started my journey in Formula One. Although my career took a different direction with BMW, it’s great to be back with Renault where I have a lot of good memories. I already know a lot of the people here and over the winter I have seen how motivated everybody is to improve our competitiveness and start winning races again.

You’ve followed the progress of the new car, the R30, closely over the winter. What are your first impressions?

Obviously the R30 is bigger than the R29 because the refuelling ban means we need a bigger fuel cell, which has had an impact on the design of the car. Last year Renault’s car was not that competitive so I’m being realistic because I know that we need to make up a lot of ground if we want to fight at the front. But the team have been concentrating on the 2010 car for a long time and I’m convinced that we are moving in the right direction. Even if we start the season in the midfield, I’m sure we can catch the other teams during the year.

Two questions to Vitaly Petrov

What are you most looking forward to this year?

I’m really looking forward to any wet races and the street circuits. That’s because I started my racing career in Russia competing in rally sprints and ice racing so I feel comfortable in slippery conditions. Also, I won my first GP2 race on a wet track in Valencia when I started on slicks on a damp track. But first I need to see what an F1 car feels like in the rain.

What are your goals for the year ahead?

To learn as much as possible from this successful team and from Robert during the year. I’m so proud to be here and want to do the best job I can. When testing begins we will be able to judge where the R30 is in comparison with the other teams so before that it’s too early to set targets. All I can say is that I will try to be as close to Robert as possible and hopefully score points regularly for the team.