Frederic Vasseur says Renault is looking to re-create its glory of the past by building towards success with a promising new driver. The French carmaker returned to full works team status for 2016 with Kevin Magnussen, a formerly McLaren-backed Dane, and the 2014 GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer.
And nipping at the race duo's heels are Esteban Ocon, the team's highly-rated reserve driver, and the new SMP Racing-backed tester Sergey Sirotkin.
"The best thing now is to find a driver who will be the world champion in, say, 2020 and 2021," Vasseur, Renault team boss, is quoted by Russia's Championat. "So it is necessary to start work now. If you look at the past, something like what Red Bull did with Vettel, Renault with Alonso and Benetton with Schumacher. But we need a few years for such a cooperation to gain momentum," he added.
Indeed, the Frenchman said he doubts even the radical rule changes for 2017 will give Renault the opportunity to immediately leap up the grid.
"It's not just about the rules but the structure of the team," said Vasseur. "Yes, a rule change could give us an advantage, but I don't think we can immediately reduce the gap."
Vasseur: "Renault seeking champion driver for 2020"
- Published on 05 May 2016 14:28
-
0
- By: Danny Sosef
Trending news
-
Honda Calls Newey's Criticism of Their Aston Martin Partnership a "Misunderstanding"
The relationship between Aston Martin and Honda has not started well, but Honda's leadership wants to push back o...
09 Apr 2026 13:56 -
Schumacher Says Leclerc to Red Bull Makes No Sense — Piastri Is the Logical Choice
Speculation about who might replace Max Verstappen at Red Bull if he were to leave has produced one name more than an...
09 Apr 2026 12:54 -
Doornbos Predicts Hamilton Will Win a Race This Season as Ferrari Close In
Ferrari left Suzuka with mixed feelings. The car showed genuine top-end pace through the corners, Charles Leclerc pus...
09 Apr 2026 14:58 -
Red Bull Boss Mekies: Tsunoda Deserves a Place on the Grid
Yuki Tsunoda's Formula 1 story has taken an unexpected turn. After four seasons with the Red Bull junior team, he...
09 Apr 2026 17:04 -
Danner Reassures Russell: "Antonelli Will Not Keep This Up"
George Russell is sitting nine points behind his teammate in the championship after three rounds, and the narrative h...
09 Apr 2026 16:01
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
World Championship standings 2026
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Driver profile
- Team Aston Martin
- Points 628
- Podiums 9
- Grand Prix 195
- Country ES
- Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (44)
- Place of b. Oviedo, ES
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.71 m
187,374 comments on Aston Martin
78 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Fernando Alonso
Team profile
- Team name McLaren
- Base Woking, United Kingdom
- Jenson Button 1
- Lewis Hamilton 1
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Niki Lauda 1
- Stoffel Vandoorne 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Gerhard Berger 2
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Jenson Button 3
- Lewis Hamilton 3
- Kimi Räikkönen 3
- Mika Häkkinen 3
- Lando Norris 4
- Lewis Hamilton 4
- Jenson Button 4
- Kimi Räikkönen 4
- Jenson Button 5
- Sergio Perez 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Niki Lauda 8
- Alain Prost 8
- Kimi Räikkönen 9
- Fernando Alonso 14
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Jenson Button 22
- Lewis Hamilton 22
- Gerhard Berger 28
- Stoffel Vandoorne 47
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- Oscar Piastri 81
304,455 comments on McLaren
162 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about McLaren

Replies (0)
Login to reply