ING Renault F1 Team objectives for 2007

Prior to the ING Renault F1 Team's R27 Launch, Alain Dassas, the Renault F1 Team President, made clear what the team's 2007 objectives are. The R27 will be unveiled in a few minutes in The Factory in Amsterdam.

Alain Dassas "2007 will be a season of exciting challenges for the ING Renault F1 Team. Double championship success in 2005 and 2006 has earned Renault its status as a major force in Formula 1. We must now live up to that reputation.

The team presents a fresh face to the world in 2007, as we welcome ING Group as our new title partner. We are proud to introduce this major, global financial institution to Formula 1, and look forward to many successes together. But while our appearance may have changed, our challenge has not. Just like twelve months ago, we must maintain winning momentum while rising to the twin challenges of technical and sporting change. The team’s response has been to implement a strategy designed to build on the strengths of its current operations while simultaneously renewing for the future.

The driver pairing of Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen combines proven race-winning experience with the promise of young talent, that has been nurtured by Renault since 2002. We are confident that our stable technical team will once again produce a package capable of winning races, and give both drivers the opportunity to make a serious impact on the 2007 championships. We are doing all we can to make sure they seize it.

The 2007 season will see Renault strengthen its presence in Formula 1. Our engine development team at Viry-Châtillon will begin another chapter in Renault’s long and successful tradition of fair and competitive engine supply. We are excited by the prospect of also working with Red Bull Racing, a dynamic team which has already had a major impact on the sport.

Conversely, Formula 1 has a significant role to play within the wider Renault Group. Our World Championship successes are a benchmark for the company, setting a standard of excellence that we aim to replicate throughout our activities. Consecutive world titles are concrete proof that the company can succeed in a demanding environment which requires a winning combination of technical excellence, reliability and flair.

2007 is a vital year for the Renault Group, as the deployment of the company-wide “Commitment 2009” plan gathers pace. The demanding objectives that have been put in place reflect the performance culture with which our team operates, and the exposure that Formula 1 success can bring is a cornerstone of the plan. Throughout the company in 2006, we worked hard to exploit our championship success, from worldwide advertising campaigns, to a strong F1 presence in our sales network, to special editions of our product range. Our aim for 2007 will be to continue setting the standard.

Indeed, “setting the standard” will be a key theme of our new title partnership with ING Group, which will provide us with many exciting opportunities in the years to come. ING is a dynamic global company and we begin our partnership with ambitious goals. Their choice of Formula 1 as a global platform for increasing brand awareness and brand value sends a positive message about the sport, and their choice of Renault indicates a desire to be associated with success.

In an environment which we predict will see ever closer competition at the front of the field, and where the margin between winning and losing is so fine, all we can ask of our technical teams and our drivers is to put us among the battle for the championship in 2007. After that, the glorious uncertainty of sport takes over – and we hope the action on the track will keep spectators worldwide enthralled from the first race to the last. As always, our approach at ING Renault F1 Team will be to race hard and to race fairly in pursuit of victory."