Nelshino visitis Renault's Ayrton Senna factory

The Renault F1 Team’s new recruit Nelsinho Piquet completed his first promotional operation for the team on Thursday, visiting Renault’s Curitiba production facility in Brazil. Named after legendary Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, the factory produces nearly 70,000 cars a year – and almost 200,000 engines. Nelsinho was given a guided tour of the facilities, and had the chance to meet the staff of the factory.

“It was a really interesting visit,” commented the 21-year old Renault F1 Team test driver. “Just like in the team, it showed me that teamwork is essential in this part of the company as well. People are always looking to improve their performance, whether it is on the track – or on the road with Renault.”

Of course, as he toured the factory thoughts turned to this weekend’s challenge for the team – championship victory.

“Fernando has done an amazing job, and he is a very competitive driver. The team will approach the weekend thinking about the championships, whereas Schumacher has to take the risks – and that means he might be more vulnerable to mistakes or mechanical problems.”

This will be Nelsinho’s first weekend with the Renault F1 Team… and it promises to be quite an introduction!