Renault launch: Tech men upbeat

That was the message from technical director Mike Gascoyne and managing director Jean-Jacques His at Renault's 2002 launch held in Paris this morning (Sunday).

Gascoyne said that the team made strong progress in its former guise as Benetton last year, despite struggling early in the season. "We've taken time to put the aerodyamics and research programmes in place," he said. "They both started delivering dramatically in 2001 but what you saw at the end of last year was just the start of the process and it will bring real benefits this year."

One problem the team faced last year was developing Renault's revolutionary wide-angle V10 engine. "This year's engine is not completely new, it uses the same architectural philosophy as last year," said His, the man who led Renault's engine department before taking over as managing director earlier this month. "But there are major improvements for 2002. Having concentrated on a high level of reliabilty in 2001, this year we will concentrate on ultimate performance.

"It takes more than one and a half years for a new engine to reach a satisfactory level of development. Now that we have acquired this experience, we will be more than capable of responding to the needs of the chassis team by supplying them with competitive units."

To the eye, the R202 looks similar to last year's Benetton, although there are big differences under the skin, according to new driver Jarno Trulli. "The car looks conservative, but there is a lot of new technology on it," he said.