2007 Season Preview (Renault)

[davewilson]

Over the past two seasons, Renault have amassed a total of 397 points, almost 60% of all points on offer. 2007, though, will be very different to 2005 and 2006 for the French boys, as world champion and orchestrator of the past two years' successes heads to McLaren, leaving Renault to fend for themselves.

The Team
Undoubtedly, Renault has the strongest overall team on the grid, with the pit-crew also remaining one of the fastest and most efficient. After two double-championship success in the past two years, they have all shown what a team they can be, winning both years at the final race of the season. The strength of the team will not change overnight, but their determination will, as critics predict a huge drop in performance, due to the departure of Alonso. The Spaniard has been notorious for winning races he should not have been able to win, and without that strength and depth in the driver department, the team as a whole may ultimately fail.

The Drivers
The biggest weakness in their 2007 package is most certainly their driver line-up. Fisichella, although highly regarded in F1 circles, was outperformed consistently by Alonso. After two seasons in the shadow of the Spaniard, many are doubting his ability to shine when out in the sun in his own. He has shown his ability to win races when everything goes right, but when things don't Fisi may struggle to find the podium, a case which rarely occurred to Alonso. He will have it all to do in 2007, the first season for him at Renault without Alonso.

Beside him in the garage for the coming season will be, Heikki Kovalainen. While the Finn has been tipped as a future champion, he is unlikely to reach his peak during his debut season, as he learns the ropes of being a full-time F1 star. The experience of Fisichella will, no doubt, help him, but only so much can be expected from a 25-year-old in such a situation. In the extreme case, if Heikki does manage to outperform Giancarlo consistently during the season, he may see Nelson Piquet Jr. step in as replacement. But with the team suffering in 2004 after drafting Villeneuve in for Trulli, this move is unlikely.

The Car
Following the super-reliable R26, early signs suggest that the R27 is following in its footsteps. After a somewhat shaky start to the pre-season, the R27 finished on a high, with little problems, and semi-impressive pace. With much of the design remaining unchanged since 2006, the R27 is likely to be quite quick, although, whether or not it will be able to deliver what its predecessors have is still unknown.

Testing Form
Courtesy of its brilliant reliability, the R27 has managed to accumulate a total of 13,200 km during the pre-season, more than any other 2007 car. Worryingly enough though, the car has only topped three sessions, all against weak opposition like the 2006 Williams and interim Super Aguri cars. Despite the losses though, Renault claim to have gained quite some time on its rivals during the final fortnight of testing in Bahrain, with the team finishing in second and third on the final day, compared to 11th and 12th on its first at Sakhir. All this improvement despite losing massive amount of time due to Heikki's crash on day two of the second week.

Overall
While the team set-up looks very promising, the driver line-up will most likely be their undoing in 2007. If Fisichella can perform, though, Renault still have a chance of claiming a title for a third successive year. But with the challenge from Ferrari and McLaren likely to be immense, both Fisichella and Kovalainen will have to be on top form at each and every race to even have a chance of victory.

In Brief:
If Fisichella can perform, and Renault keep the developments coming, Renault will challenge Ferrari and McLaren for the title.

But do not forget MASSA!
The stig