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MPH: Mark Hughes on...

With a new man at the helm and no slack in the purse strings, Renault faces an uphill fight. But there are also significant reasons to be cheerful

Renault team principal Eric Boullier is new to the job but not the sport, having been heavily involved in the successful running of DAMS in the lower categories. He has a very challenging job ahead of him in trying to return Renault to the front on a lower budget than was available in the past. He also, as a Frenchman, has to win over a very British team at the Enstone factory and has to do it, what's more, without the help of Pat Symonds who effectively ran the show since Job was a lad.

The two late season victories of 2008 - including the hugely damaging contrived one of Singapore - prevented head office from shutting the factory down that winter. But even so, almost 70 jobs had to be lost. Many of these were in the aerodynamics department and this is seen as a major reason why last year's car wasn't a great one.