Renault RS16 Launch

Introduction
Less than an hour before I wrote this, Renault took the covers off their 2016 challenger, and the first car of their return to F1, the RS16. Today was clearly a special day for them as they not only revealed their car but also announced their driver line-up as well.


Magnussen's signing

It was known before that Renault were going to give the seat vacated by Maldonado to Magnussen but it wasn't officially announced till the launch. I am personally delighted he is getting a second chance, because in my opinion I think it should've been Jenson Button dropped at the end of 2014 because, yes he is experienced and is a very professional driver, I personally think he has passed his best now. And it really did look like Magnussen's career was all but over, which would've been such a shame as 1 year is an all too short career for such a talented driver. And the fact he is driving alongside Jolyon Palmer, I think that is a very strong line-up.


Ocon's signing as reserve

What will be considered less significant out of the announcements at the launch is the signing of 2015 GP3 champion as reserve driver, Esteban Ocon. This is massive for him in my opinion. He does know the Enstone team very well firstly, as he competed in a few test and practice sessions with them. It did look for a while like he was going to go to DTM, but this reserve role, as well as the fact Renault aren't in DTM, seems to point out he is going to do something else. I do believe he will race this year as well, so I can see him going to GP2. As that's where most GP3 champions have landed in the past in the next year.


The car

Looking at the car, there are a few interesting things to point out. Some things have clearly been carried over from the Enstone squad's 2015 car. The nose, engine cover and the rear wing have been carried over from the E23. The fact the engine cover carries over does surprise me because some of the car would've had to be modified to accommodate the Renault engine. The sidepods I can notice a difference in however, the sidepods seem to be a similar design to that of the Williams FW37. The front wing I also notice has a bit more to it than the predecessor as well. I was expecting to see more yellow on the livery, I am going to talk more about that in my next blog post.