Why Renault's "glimpses" can't become a self-fulfilling prophecy

When Renault announced the running order of its launch event, it promised mere "glimpses" of its new RS20 design, covering for the fact that the actual Formula 1 car was absent from the festivities. While infuriating, it was also a perfect metaphor for the team in many ways.

All that Renault has really shown on its return to F1 as a full-fat works team are glimpses; glimpses of potential that have as yet not been fulfilled, as its hopes of becoming a genuine contender for wins in 2019 ultimately came to nothing with an RS19 that flattered to deceive.

For a technical writer who likes to poke around the cars and offer suggestions as to what each part of the car might be doing, Renault's teaser images offer little. There's hints of a new design direction, a new paint scheme and the first look at Esteban Ocon's black-and-red lid peeking out of the cockpit, but there's little else to go on. That's probably how Renault wanted to play this, after all.

Notorious for using old cars at launch events and providing renders a few development-specs old, the Enstone squad enjoys keeping its cards close to its chest. A glimpse at a three-of-diamonds, perhaps, but offering no clue as to the specifics of their hand.

Regardless, perhaps it's worth our time sussing out what the initial renderings do tell us.

There's certainly a distinct change to the nosecone transition, which curves inwards before the suspension components in a similar fashion to Mercedes and McLaren. Although it's important to remember that it's just a mere "glimpse", it does suggest that Renault has upped the complexity of the nosecone and has opted for an elaborate snorkel system akin to Red Bull, perhaps with a cape. But it could also be none of the above.

Above that new transition, the S-duct and fins appear to have been retained from last year's car, as have the ridges along the edge of the chassis bulkhead. Whether they appear on the final car is anyone's guess, of course - these are but mere glimpses after all.

The air intake and engine cover look distinctly rooted in the RS19's design too, featuring the lozenge-shaped inlet and the chunky packaging. Renault, like Honda, likes to pack a lot of cooling equipment in this area, freeing up some of the space in the sidepods to allow tighter bodywork.

Without wishing to lower the tone, Renault has also offered a glimpse of its rear end, which looks about as tight as last year's car.

It also has a subtle spoon shape to the rear wing mainplane, which is usually seen in higher-downforce environs. Distinctly similar to one of last year's configurations, probably because it is, Renault also seems to be persisting with the complex endplate designs that it ran last year.

Renault's biggest battle in 2020 is going to be in convincing its parent company to keep funding its F1 aspirations

The team seems to be using the point at which the endplate flares out to dial in a little bit more downforce, but given that the blurred focus offers but a preview, it's hard to make out the real arrangement there.

Apart from those small elements, the social media "glimpses" offer very little other than the mandatory components and a cursory peek at an all-black matte-and-gloss livery. But, just as Renault unveiled with an all-black livery ahead of the 2016, before reverting to the banana-yellow scheme it eventually used, there's no real clue that this will be used at all.

Whether Renault unveils a full render ahead of testing or not, it seems somewhat cheap that the team has set out its stall - particularly on one of F1's most anticipated weeks - only to offer cursory peeks. Of course, the team owes the world nothing and reserves the right not to bother with a launch at all, but to annex a launch day just to fill it with mere "glimpses" isn't really in keeping with the spirit of Launch Week.

Regardless, Renault's biggest battle in 2020 is going to be in convincing its parent company to keep funding its Formula 1 aspirations. Renault hasn't been as well funded as the other manufacturer teams in the past, and a lot of budget has been spent on renovating the apparently dilapidated Enstone facilities into something more worthy of a manufacturer team.

But the reluctance to put the money in creates a self-fulfilling cycle in which Renault is even more reluctant to put the money in as the team underperforms.

Having Ocon in the squad is presumably a cheaper option than the departing Nico Hulkenberg, which should offset the hefty retainer that Daniel Ricciardo commands. But there's a difficult balance between putting money into development and putting money into drivers - one should, realistically, come before the other.

Whether Ricciardo made the right decision to depart Red Bull will surely become clear this year, and although there's the prospect of building Renault into 'his' team in a manner akin to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, the now six-time world champion's first year with the Brackley team in 2013 was at least marked by podiums and a victory at Hungary.

For his efforts in 2019, Ricciardo didn't even grace the podium.

This year, the Australian must have the platform to deliver, while Ocon must deliver on the promise he showed at Force India, before he defaulted to clashing with team-mate Sergio Perez (and ex-Formula 3 rival Max Verstappen) on numerous occasions.

Ocon is quick and consistent, and hopefully the year spent perched on Toto Wolff's shoulder like a lanky parrot has given the Frenchman the insight into how to perform like Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas on a regular basis. Ricciardo, meanwhile, must not let his head drop if the RS20 turns out to be another middling car - strong performances in spite of suboptimal machinery can reward a driver handsomely.

Two key questions currently hover over Renault this season. Firstly, can the team shake off a disappointing 2019 and start appearing on the podium, and secondly, will Renault continue into 2021? The answer to the first question may very well influence the second.

And when Renault's board members meet later this year for crunch talks over the future of the F1 squad, team principal Cyril Abiteboul will be hoping to show more than just mere glimpses to secure the team's future.