You'll Definitely Spot It!

The first thing you notice about the new Renault R30 is the colour scheme - it's bold to say the least. However, looking a little closer gives cause to be mildly optimistic.

Make no mistake; I don't think that this new Renault will be a world champion. It's a little harsh to write something off before it has even racked up one lap but it doesn't LOOK as quick as either the McLaren MP4-25 or Ferrari F10. Having said that, it does look (aerodynamically at least) better than last year's car.

In my opinion, the R29 never looked like it could win races and so it was proved - this car, I think could be the first dark horse of the new season.

As with the Sauber, I think that this car is a lot less developed than the Ferrari and McLaren but it is smooth and neat. There are obvious changes to the nose of this car when compared to its predecessor and these changes make the whole package seem much more aesthetically pleasing on the eye. As with the McLaren and Sauber, Renault have added a shark fin on the engine cover and the sidepods seem sleek like the Ferrari's.

There are no other notable aerodynamic features to this car but another reason to be optimistic came from (technical director) Bob Bell when he said that this car often beats the targets set for it in the wind tunnel. Maybe Renault has found something?

I'm struggling to predict how well this car will do but let's hope that its performance shouts louder than its colours and that Robert Kubica and (new signing) Vitaly Petrov are fighting at the front of the midfield.

P.s. Petrov was runner-up in the GP2 series last year. He becomes the first Russian F1 driver and apparently brings sponsorship money with him to Renault.