Unknown to many, this charge towards being included in F1 racing’s elite company of three began way, way back...long before the 2004 season started. For more than a year now, engineers at Enstone and Viry-Chåtillon, the two racing development facilities of Mild Seven Renault, have been tediously laboring to get the right mix of components that add up into a race-winning car.
If Fernando Alonso’s comments are accurate, then it seems that the engineering team had done their job. And done it well at that. "The car felt really good during the race. It had nice balance, and was easy to drive," described Alonso moments after stepping down from the podium.
As early as March 2003, team officials in charge of technical development for Mild Seven Renault had categorically stated that reliability is the priority for the new RS24 engine. And at the end of the development process, the team arrived at a 72 degree V10 engine that was not only more durable, but also more powerful than its predecessor.
Now, with the new rules coming into force, race engineering bosses Pat Symonds and Denis Chevrier face two main challenges in Melbourne and in the 17 succeeding races.
Now more than ever, the relationship between engine and chassis engineers at Viry-Chåtillon and Enstone will be crucial, to meet the demands of perfecting the set-up and simultaneously preserving the engine life. Based on the early podium finish at Melbourne, it is clear that the Mild Seven Renault technical team is on the right track.