Renault could be fourth fastest by end of the season

Renault has the resources to have the fourth fastest car by the end of the season, according to drivers Jolyon Palmer and Nico Hulkenberg.

The manufacturer team is aiming for fifth in the championship this year, but a difficult opening round proved it still has some way to go if it wants to challenge Force India and Williams at the front of the midfield.

It’s a task Palmer believes Renault are ready for.

“It’s very, very tight – Williams is a little bit ahead, but we’ve got the resource to move through the year and aim for that fourth spot,” he told Autosport.

“Maybe not in terms of final position, but at least in terms of performance in the latter part of the year.

“You can visibly see what’s going on in the factory and there are points of downforce coming all the time. It’s quite exciting. That’s where, as a team, we’re in quite a strong position.”

At the moment, Renault is closer to the back of the midfield than the front. The team left Australia without points after Palmer retired and Hulkenberg finished just outside the points in 11th.

Realistically, the works team will be fighting against Williams, Force India, Haas, and Toro Rosso in the midfield. Recently, Williams and Haas haven’t been able to keep up with the development of other teams through the course of the season, which might work to Renault’s advantage.

Renault is also expecting an engine boost later in the season, when the manufactures introduce new power units.

“It is close,” Hulkenberg said. “The race is on basically between all those teams.

“I think it is realistic [to aim for the fourth spot] but we need obviously to do the right things and in terms of the development, bring the right parts and use the right tools to go there.

“It’s definitely a benefit to have more and bigger resources. We have to make them work as well, it’s not just about quantity – it’s about quality. We’ll have to prove we can do it.”