No complacency at Renault, says Bell

"I am very proud of the team's work on R27," said Bell on the day Renault officially launched their new car, the R27, in the Netherlands.

"We have enjoyed two seasons of remarkable success, but there is no complacency at all at Renault."

Renault's new car has already completed its first test, when Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen drove the car for the first time during a three-day session at Jerez last week.

Despite some teething problems, the team were left upbeat about the new car's performance.

"Finding performance under stable regulations always obeys the law of diminishing returns, but our technical group has worked hard to innovate and ensure that the new car represents a genuine step forward over its predecessor in every area," added Bell.

"The aerodynamic packaging is even more sophisticated than in previous years, while the gains from our new gearbox have been significant on track. We have kept the mechanical configuration of the suspension consistent in order to understand as thoroughly as possible the demands of the new Bridgestone Potenza tyres.

"We made a successful start to the adaptation process in the latter stages of 2006, and this will continue up to the first race.

"Everybody is expecting an extremely competitive season in 2007, and we are confident that our proven track record of world championship success will prove a considerable asset in that battle. The team is hungry to continue winning, and the R27 reflects that determination."

Renault's engine boss Rob White says the new regulations, which don't allow teams to develop their engines, have made the team opt for a different approach when designing their new unit.

White claims, however, that their zero-defect policy remains unchanged.

"Our work for 2007 has been very different to previous years," said White. "Rather than designing a new engine, as we have done every season since 2001, the regulations have limited our work to optimising how the engine operates within the new 19,000 rpm rev limit.

"Our development work has been conducted within the framework of the new rules and although the engine will be called RS27, it contains just 10% new parts - compared to over 95% in previous years.

"However, it remains one of the most advanced competition engines in the world, operating in an extreme environment, with tiny margins for error.

"As always, our goal will be to achieve the only acceptable objective for a top-line Formula One engine: zero-defect reliability. We have worked hard to blend this with competitive performance for the season ahead."