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Renault is once again considering returning as a full-fledged manufacturer. Given the setbacks it has suffered since 2014 in its partnership with Red Bull to supply engines, is launching its own chassis a wise decision?
Renault has been the subject of particular attention lately. Its only customer teams this season, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, have openly criticized the French engine manufacturer's mediocre performance. Red Bull spokesman Helmut Marko regularly blames Renault for the two teams' inability to compete with their rivals equipped with Ferrari and, above all, Mercedes engines. This criticism has hit Renault hard, and the company is struggling to respond while the Austrian team continues to dominate. Ferrari's turnaround offers a lesson to be learned. After a mediocre 2014 season, the Italian manufacturer used a few months of experience with hybrid engines to get back on the podium and even snatch a victory from Mercedes earlier this year. This rapid improvement shows what can be achieved by focusing on the right goals. Faced with its current difficulties, Renault is exploring various options, one of which is to relaunch its full business, supplying both engines and chassis. The expertise is undeniable: during its two stints in Formula 1, the diamond brand has won two drivers' world championship titles, two constructors' world championship titles, and 35 Grand Prix victories. The Viry-Chatillon team knows how to win and has proven it time and time again.
Nevertheless, each of Renault's technical initiatives has proved challenging. In the 1970s, the company ventured into turbocharged engines to showcase French engineering, and when it returned in the early 2000s, it introduced a radical 111° V-angle engine instead of the conventional 90°. Both projects ultimately failed, but Renault has always taken on ambitious challenges. Today, the obstacle is hybrid powertrain technology. Over the past two seasons, the French company has failed to achieve the expected performance levels. This raises a series of questions: what is the point of building a chassis if the engine lags behind? How much innovation is needed to differentiate the powertrain and win races? And how long will Renault's management continue to fund a program that is currently damaging the brand's global image? These are the questions the manufacturer must resolve before embarking on such an ambitious venture.
