Are Renault on their way back to the podium?

President of Renault Sport Racing Jerome Stroll has said that Renault underestimated the amount of work that was needed coming back to the track after buying out Lotus in 2016.

President of Renault Sport Racing Jerome Stroll has said that Renault underestimated the amount of work that was needed coming back to the track after buying out Lotus in 2016.

Renault had supposedly created a five-year plan to position themselves at the front of the grid. They finished fourth this year behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes putting them just beyond the rest of the teams.

“We largely underestimated the state in which the team was in,” he told Auto Hebdo.

Lotus F1 ended in 2015 after Groupe Renault purchased the team, appointing Stoll as chairman and Cyril Abiteboul as managing director.

“Many people had left, very little investment had been made. We knew it was going to be difficult, but we ended up in a much more difficult situation than expected.”

Since the takeover the team has been restructuring its infrastructure at the Enstone and Viry-Châtillon units. They have been on a hiring spree the past couple of years to fill the necessary spots to help target the podium for the upcoming season.

“Thanks to Cyril Abiteboul, who has been able to give the impetus, we are a team with a very special identity and it is something that makes me proud,”

“The next step for Renault is the podium.”

Daniel Ricciardo joins the team after agreeing to leave Red Bull in the summer to drive alongside Nico Hulkenburg for 2019.

Do you think we will see Renault up on the podium next year? Or is it too soon for the French team?