Renault faces another season of struggle

Seeing a Renault works team back on track in Formula 1 over the first three days of pre-season testing at Barcelona signifies something special.

It marks the beginning of the French manufacturer's renewed commitment to the pinnacle of single-seater racing, while evoking memories of its glorious past.

There was a time not so long ago when Renault was a serious F1 force. It conquered the world championship on its own terms in 2005 and '06, before powering Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel's four consecutive title triumphs from 2010-13.

But V6 hybrid turbos have caught Renault out quite badly. The French manufacturer admits it started development for the 2014 rule changes too late and then misinterpreted the challenge, focusing too much on developing effective hybrid systems to the detriment of the good, old fashioned combustion engine.

Regardless, its efforts were good enough - in conjunction with Red Bull - to win three races in 2014, but Renault has struggled to build on that modest success, plagued by poor reliability throughout much of last year and slipping further behind in the performance stakes too, which led to that very public falling out with Red Bull.

Last time Renault owned the keys to Enstone, the titles flowed © XPB

A return to works status for this season, thanks to re-acquiring the Enstone operation that formed the basis of its last factory foray in F1, offers the chance for repair of Renault's tattered reputation. But initial running in pre-season testing already hints that the journey to rebuild that reputation will be long and arduous.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo suggested the TAG-badged Renault engine in his new RB12 felt "pretty much like we ended last season" on day one at Barcelona, and though Renault engines have completed 154 more laps after three days of pre-season testing than they managed at this stage last year, there were niggling reliability issues for the works outfit, as software problems and a turbo failure hampered the first two days of running for Jolyon Palmer.

Team-mate Kevin Magnussen enjoyed a more productive outing on Wednesday, managing to log more than 100 laps on his first day driving an F1 car properly for almost a year, but watching from trackside it is clear the Renault is the fourth best engine (at best) right now - behind the new Mercedes and Ferrari units, plus last year's Ferrari, running in the back of the Toro Rosso and the Sauber.

But perhaps that's no surprise. Renault only completed its deal to purchase the former Lotus operation in December and its very future in F1 was in question until it finally signed on the dotted line.

Renault didn't introduce a major engine upgrade in 2015 until October's United States Grand Prix, and clearly hadn't been working as fast or as efficiently as its main rivals amid the turmoil and uncertainty surrounding its relationship with Red Bull and with F1 itself.

Day three of Renault's new world order on the track at least suggests it has acquired a solid and capable car, which is what you'd expect from a racing operation as slick as the one at Enstone.

That team performed near-miracles to finish sixth in last season's constructors' championship, on a shoestring budget, but may struggle to maintain that status - even with Renault's added investment - thanks to losing the considerable advantage of Mercedes customer power.

Vasseur's early expectations are realistic © XPB

But a lack of performance is to be expected from Renault this year, according to its new racing director Frederic Vasseur.

"Everybody has to understand we took over the company at the end of December," he tells Autosport. "You know the situation faced by Lotus at this stage - it was just a nightmare for everybody. Now we have to build up a long-term project.

"We have the resources to deliver, that is not an issue. Last year we had some doubts about the future and it was probably not easy to manage these kinds of situations. Renault was on the edge.

"But when I speak with the guys from Enstone, when they compare with a few years ago, it's a huge, huge, huge difference, and also with the guys from Viry, they are much more comfortable than last year.

"You can always improve and we will have to do a better job. Everybody is motivated in Enstone and Viry, and if we work together in the same direction, for sure we will do a good job."

Vasseur admits resources will need to be pumped back into the Enstone operation, both in terms of facilities and personnel, to build it back up into a potential championship contender, but he reckons Lotus leaves behind a credible baseline to work from.

Lotus's 2015 miracles included a podium at Spa © LAT

"The team spirit among the guys, they are really pushing, they are real racers," he says. "It's a huge advantage. But now we have to sort out the issues they had at the end of last year and build up a team for the mid-term and long-term.

"It's a bit different, but I trust them; I know what they did last year. Even if they struggled a lot with the financial aspect, I saw the job done and I really trust them.

"We have to develop the resources for the team, engage new guys, we have to develop all the sectors of the company. It will take time, but we know exactly what we have to do, we know the target, we know the roadmap."

This year is about managing expectations, because late confirmation of Renault's commitment to F1 means compromises to the installation of the engine into Enstone's chassis design.

There is perhaps a nice parallel between Renault and Enstone, outside of their shared history. Both are very capable organisations that have been starved of resources and success. With sharper focus and decent funding they could potentially be capable of great things again.

Renault and McLaren-Honda - two F1 giants currently in the shadows © LAT

But that will take time, which of course is of the essence in F1. In similar fashion to what is happening along the pitlane at McLaren-Honda (also much-maligned for power unit inadequacies), Vasseur is talking of the early days of this project as a rebuilding process for Renault.

"If you ask me if we will be able to be champion next year I will say no," he says. "If you look at the past, Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, they took five, six years to become champion.

"If you look at Mercedes they started from the team that won the championship the year before [Brawn] and they [still] needed five years to win again the championship.

"It can't be a short-term thing. We need to have a long-term project."

After the difficulties of recent times it must be a relief for all at Renault and Enstone to feel the greater sense of certainty that comes from renewed commitment, and reunification.

The long-term future for this respected squad of racers, and those that build the engine that now powers it, is starting to look brighter again.

But the early warning is clear: don't expect miracles from the reformed Renault works team this season.