Renault is now on the bottom rung of F1's real ladder
Renault topped the first 2019 pre-season Formula 1 test and looks to have made a positive first step in its quest to reach the top three teams. But it still has a long way to go if it is to definitively stay at the front of the midfield
It's a cliche to talk about Formula 1's ultra-competitive midfield battle these days. But that doesn't mean it's not valid to do so, and with three quarters of pre-season testing in the history books it seems F1's 2019 'Class B' will be every bit as tight as last year - or perhaps even more so.
But one team in that group is an anomaly.
Renault is a full-blown manufacturer operation, one that has built impressive resources over the past three years and plans to cross the no-man's land separating the rest from the big three in the coming seasons. To do that, it first must be at the front of the midfield pack - and ideally more comfortably than it was last year. In short, it must not only finish fourth this season, but a better fourth.
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