ING Renault F1 Team unveils the R29 in Portugal
The ING Renault F1 Team officially launched its 2009 season today as
the new Renault F1 R29 was unveiled to the world's media at the
Algarve Motor Park near Portimao in the south of Portugal.
Both the team's race drivers, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet, were
on hand this morning to take the covers off their new challenger as
they joined Managing Director Flavio Briatore for a photo call with
the R29 in front of the team's pit garage. They were joined by young
Frenchman, Romain Grosjean, who was announced as the team's third
driver for 2009, and the latest recruits from Renault's Driver
Development Programme: Davide Valsecchi from Italy, Charles Pic from
France and Marco Sorensen from Denmark.
With radical revisions to the sport's technical regulations
introduced this year, the R29 incorporates a new design philosophy
and looks very different from its predecessor. Great attention has
been paid to maximizing the new rules and the team is optimistic
about its chances for the year ahead, as Flavio Briatore explained:
"We began our preparations for the R29 project early and I am proud
of what the team has achieved. There are lots of new things to deal
with this year, which could shake things up, but we intend to
continue fighting at the front. We will now concentrate on our final
preparations for the start of the season so that we can arrive in
Australia hopefully fighting for the podium."
Both Fernando and Nelson were delighted to get their hands on the R29
so early in the year. Having followed the car's progress closely over
the winter, they paid tribute to the work done by the staff in the
factories in Enstone and Viry. "The team has had a very busy
development programme to allow us to be ready for the first January
test with the new car," said Fernando. "Now we are all looking
forward to seeing the result of all that effort on the racetrack."
ING Renault F1 Team President Bernard Rey also confirmed the
commitment of Renault to the sport ahead of the new season. "This
team is the proof of the ability of the Renault Group to obtain
results and success at the very highest level," said Rey. "The team
will therefore be supported by the whole Group throughout the
challenges that lie ahead this year."
After the photo call, the R29 made its track debut as Nelson kicked
off the team's winter development programme at the Algarve Motor
Park. "It feels great to be in the R29, even though the weather was
not great," said Nelson after his first day in the car. "Today was
all about adding miles to the car, collecting data and learning as
much as we could. Hopefully the rest of the week will allow us to
build on the progress we have made today."
The car featured a fresh new livery in the colours of the team's
principal partner ING, as well as eye-catching Total branding
following confirmation of a new three-year technical partnership with
Total Group. "We're very pleased to continue our sponsorship and
Technology Partnership with ING Renault F1 Team," said Christophe de
Margerie, CEO, Total. "It's a great partnership for Total group to be
aligned with Renault in a legacy of excellence, as well as providing
a good global venue for our brand presence. For Total, another key
benefit â~@~S apart from winning Formula 1 races with a truly
outstanding motorsports team â~@~S is to use our on-track research
and testing to develop and deliver new and more efficient products
that benefit everyday drivers under the most demanding driving
conditions."
The ING Renault F1 Team will remain in the Algarve until Thursday to
continue with its testing programme. Nelson will be in the R29 for a
second day tomorrow before handing it over to Fernando for the final
two days.
-credit: renault
