Renault upbeat about R26 potential

The reigning World Champions have already conducted some rig tests on the new car at their Enstone factory and Bell sees no reason why the promise of the chassis and engine will not follow through to the track.

"The car has met our criteria, and we have seen the improvements we hoped for," he said. "We are all excited about starting work with the new car.

"Our figures from the wind tunnel are good, the engine has given strong results in terms of performance and reliability over Christmas, so we now want to start learning about the R26 on the track.

"The focus has been on getting the car out early to maximise our mileage ahead of the opening race, and ensure it is fully reliable for Bahrain. We have a busy two months ahead, but it is a challenge we relish."

Bell is confident that Renault's decision not to put resources into preparing a hybrid car for early winter testing will pay off. The team spent December running an R25 chassis with a restricted V10 engine.

"When it comes to winter testing, there is no single, right answer - only a correct solution for each different set of circumstances, which vary for every team," added Bell.  "Running with a restricted V10 until the New Year, and then bringing out the definitive package very early, was the best option for Renault.

"Our testing went very well, we ran reliably and learned a lot, particularly about the differences in chassis set-up for 2006."