Renault's Bell says R26 ready to deliver

"We certainly think so," said Bell in a team release ahead of the official launch of the car.

"More than ever, the true level of competitiveness will not become clear until we begin running seriously at the first race, so I don't think it is worth drawing too many conclusions before then.

"But we are very aware that after a successful season, it is difficult to maintain winning momentum. We have not been complacent in any area, and our design approach has not been a conservative one. The same is true in Viry, where the engine team has done a fantastic job balancing reliability and performance.

"The R26 is an aggressive statement from the team, and it says that we mean to stay on top in 2006."

The R26, which will be officially launched today in Monaco, has already been testing since the start of the year, showing a promising performance and even better reliability.

Renault were the only top team to decide against testing with an hybrid car during the winter, waiting until two R26 chassis were ready to test their V8 engine on track for the first time.

Up until then, they had tested with restricted V10 engines.

Bell said the car which has been testing in January will change significantly when the season starts in Bahrain.

"We have some very promising short and medium-term developments already planned for the car," Bell said. "Firstly, we had two R26 chassis running in just our second test of 2006, which doubles the effective mileage on the new car, and ensures both drivers are fully comfortable ahead of the opening race.

"Secondly, we will introduce a major aerodynamic update just before the opening races. The car that runs in Bahrain will be quite different to the machine that has been testing so far."