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The Renault F1 Team, based in Enstone in Oxfordshire, is expecting to challenge for race victories in 2004 following its first win last year since returning to Formula One in 2002. With the new R24 car Renault hope to claim one of the top three spots in the Championships this year.

The 2003 Championships saw the Renault F1 Team take fourth place overall in manufacturer rankings and expectations are high for the team in 2004. Renault F1 Team boss Flavio Briatore, drivers Jarno Trulli and 2003 Budapest Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso, are joined this season by new test driver, Franck Montagny. More than 50,000 man hours of work went into the aerodynamic design of the Renault F1 Team R24 car and if early testing is anything to go by, the Renault F1 Team are on course to improve the success of last year.

2004 Changes

'The minimum size of the engine cover and rear wing endplates has been increased. What's more, the number of elements in the rear wing has been limited to just two. 'This change is the reason behind the distinctive shape of our engine cover, and the profile of the rear wing,' explains Director of Engineering Pat Symondst. 'Originally, limiting the number of planes in the rear wing brought about a loss in aerodynamic efficiency of around 6%, but our work in the wind tunnel means the car actually has more downforce than in 2003.'

The car that will carry the Mild Seven Renault F1 Teams colours in 2004, the R24, has been conceived by a team led by Chief Designer Mark Smith, under the guidance of Technical Director Bob Bell. The car, which has been under development since September 2002, is an evolution of the R23, with the clear objective of improved performance in every area. In spite of regulation changes, the car already generates more downforce than its predecessor.

At the heart of the new car lies the RS24, an engine designed to meet the new one-engine-per-weekend regulations. The objective of Project Leader Leon Taillieu has been to maintain the level of performance from 2003 while meeting the new reliability demands. Furthermore, it will undergo intensive development throughout the year under the leadership of Technical Director Rob White.

The Renault F1 Team scored a satisfying third in the frist 2004 race.

The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team scored a satisfying result in the first race of the 2004 championship, with Fernando Alonso finishing third and Jarno Trulli seventh. The team currently lies third in the Constructors Championship, behind Ferrari and Williams.

Alonso jumped into third place at the start, in spite of taking to the grass to avoid Montoya's Williams. He then drove a faultless race to finish in the same position, a little over twenty seconds ahead of Ralf Schumacher.

Fernando Alonso, 3rd position: 'I made a great start, even though Montoya forced me onto the grass. After he out-braked himself at the first corner, I found myself third and from then on, it was a pretty easy race. I was too slow to be able to fight with the Ferraris, but I managed to pull out a gap to Jenson and the Williams. Our objective for this race was to start scoring points before the start of the European season; to take a podium is everything we could have hoped for.'

Story by Renualt, Edited by Supercars.net