Renault confident car performance "in the bag" for F1 season start

Renault is set to bring a substantial upgrade package to the Formula 1 season-opening Austrian Grand Prix next weekend.

With F1 due to finally start at the Red Bull Ring on July 3-5, team principal Cyril Abiteboul has confirmed the R.S.20 will be significantly different to the one that was rolled out in pre-season testing at Barcelona in February.

If this season had been a normal one, the team would have upgraded the car at three races. That trio of upgrades will now be on the car in Austria.

“We’ve made some decisions during the break to allow us to do that [bring upgrades], to secure the plan, and we will execute that plan," the team boss told a conference call of invited media, including GPFans.

"There will be some other decisions made that we will talk about later, but for the time being, on the chassis side, the upgrades are coming.

“It’s been a huge effort from internal production to get the package from race three, race five, race six – initial numbering obviously – Vietnam, the Netherlands, Barcelona, that will be on our car in Austria.

“Those races obviously have not happened, but the performance that was supposed to come, will be in the bag."

While it is likely every team will bring an upgrade package, Abiteboul appeared quietly confident his team has made more significant strides than most.

He added: “I want to downplay any expectation because we know that our car was really, really bad last year.

"So we just hope that we will be slightly better, and again, we’re not totally sure of the competitiveness of the car from the winter test, but I don’t want to say too much at this point.

“Let's go to Austria. There is a really good vibe, but there is clearly a huge satisfaction from the effort that has gone into making all these parts available in quantity also."

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