Renault has an awesome responsibility in 2018. Not because it's the key to McLaren's revival, not because its works team should take another step towards the front, but because it holds the key to what every Formula 1 fan wants to see - a fight for the title featuring more than two teams, and hopefully involving Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
On previous form, though, it won't deliver. In the 1.6-litre V6 hybrid F1 era, Renault's engine packages have consistently disappointed. Its seven wins, all with Red Bull, have come mostly when Mercedes and Ferrari have hit trouble, and things haven't started too promisingly this year either.
The Renault power unit package is apparently all about reliability for the start of this year. That means no big hike in performance and the odds of Red Bull joining Ferrari and Mercedes in the title fight lengthening.