SPORTS
Renault looking to move to front of F1's 2018 midfield fight with introduction of chassis upgrades at Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Baku, April 25, AZERTAC
Renault is hoping the introduction of new chassis upgrades will help it emerge at the top of Formula 1’s tight midfield battle at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, according to gptoday.com.
The French manufacturer has been the most consistent midfield outfit so far in 2018, scoring points with at least one of its cars at each of the opening three races in Australia, Bahrain and China to occupy fifth place in the constructors’ standings.
Despite its solid start to the new campaign, Renault admitted it hoped to be closer to F1’s leading three teams this season, with the Enstone-based squad already 30 points adrift of customer team Red Bull, as well as trailing fellow customer team McLaren by three points.
But Renault is pinning its hopes of leading a tight 2018 midfield pack on a series of chassis upgrades, including front and rear wing and bargeboards updates in Baku, before introducing an engine upgrade at May’s Spanish Grand Prix.
"Baku will mark the start of the next phase of our season push,” Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul said. “We will debut some new chassis upgrades, specifically on the wings and bargeboards, which will be followed on the engine side in Barcelona.
“We are confident that the combination of these developments can allow us to maintain our performance. We need to remain focussed on making every single element work.”