Renault hopeful of challenging top four

Robert Kubica qualified ninth at Sakhir and finished 11th, despite contact and a spin at the first corner dropping him to the back of the field.

Permane believes that, based on the race pace shown in Bahrain, the R30 could be capable of challenging the likes of McLaren and Mercedes.

"Robert did a very credible job to fight back to 11th in the middle part of the race [in Bahrain] and his pace was very competitive - as quick as the two Mercedes and the McLaren of [Jenson] Button," said Permane.

"It's clear that we're not in the same league as Ferrari and Red Bull at the moment, but the performance in Bahrain gives me confidence that we can challenge for some good points this year."

Renault, like most teams, will bring some aerodynamic upgrades to Melbourne, including a new front wing. Permane says Renault is targeting both cars making Q3 on Saturday and points finishes on Sunday.

"We have some new aero parts for Melbourne, which should give us a bit more performance," he said. "There's a new front wing and a new part on the rear wing, which improves our overall downforce.

"We're looking at all areas, but it's no secret that downforce still rules in F1 and the more downforce we can put on the car, the better. We're also looking at addressing some of our weaknesses on the mechanical side, but that's a longer term project and it will be a few races before we can integrate suspension updates.

"The target [in Australia] is to get both drivers into Q3. I think that's a realistic target given our competitiveness. If we can do that then both drivers should be capable of fighting for points."