Symonds seeking strong start

2006 may only be a few days old, but the Formula One teams have been planning for the coming season for as long as eighteen months. Defending Champions Renault may not have run their new 2.4 litre V8 engine on track yet, but just before Christmas the RS26 was fired up in the back of the Renault chassis for the first time.

Since then the new R26 chassis has been put through its paces on the dynamic test rig at Enstone, undergoing preliminary checks and set-up work and next Tuesday the team test the new car at Jerez for the first time with Giancarlo Fisichella behind the wheel.

With two months of testing scheduled before the season-opener in Bahrain, Renault aims to ensure the package is both reliable and competitive. In 2005, the early races allowed the team to build a crucial platform in the race for the world championship. The aim will be to repeat that feat in 2006.

Pat Symonds “Those early races really set the scene for the year. Each race may be worth ten points in absolute, terms, but that ignores the human component. The first win buoys the whole team, and confidence grows from there. The maths may say the early races have the same importance as any other, but in terms of the team’s self-esteem, I would say they are worth half as much again.”