Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, Yas Marina

Hulkenberg: Renault not planning major upgrade for first race

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In the round-up: First test pace-setter Nico Hulkenberg says Renault won’t be bringing a significant upgrade package between now and the season starting.

What they say

Hulkenberg was asked if the team had a major upgrade planned for the first race of the season.

No I don’t think, not majorly different.

I think for the launch car not, but later on [will be] when developments come.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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Comment of the day

McLaren’s new hiring gets a thumbs-up (mostly):

This is good news for McLaren. Hopefully, he will have some input on the 2019 car in time for the mid-season updates, but more importantly, he’ll have plenty of time to work on the 2020 concept.

I do have some reservations about James Key though, in that he hasn’t really managed a team with a huge budget and staff yet. For all we know, he could be the Frentzen of technical designers, in that he can perform brilliantly in the midfield, but can’t quite cut it at the top level.
@Mashiat

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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12 comments on “Hulkenberg: Renault not planning major upgrade for first race”

  1. Nice tweet from George Woods Baker (not sure if he’s just a fan, or involved in F1 in some manner). Sadly, often motorsport adverts/clips focuses on crashes, spills and anger/tantrums, since that seems more “edgy”. And this is probably more the case now, given Liberty focusing on certain younger age demographics.

    That said, I don’t mind it if the ads are portrayed in such a manner as long as the actual show portrays F1 with all its nuances (e.g. the quest for that elusive tenth in quali). However, if the show continues to focus on the crash-boom-bang aspect of F1, that would be a poor job of pitching the sport to audiences.

    1. @phylyp

      Sadly, often motorsport adverts/clips focuses on crashes, spills and anger/tantrums, since that seems more “edgy”. And this is probably more the case now, given Liberty focusing on certain younger age demographics.

      I’d guess with that, they’d possibly miss their target audience, as that’s not how I perceive the generational split. I’d connect crashes, spills and simple outrage with an older, conservative demographic, quite possibly american. I have that down as an important reason (the other two being the eco-implications of the sport and the failed media-strategy) on why it is so difficult to get this generations youth onboard with motorsports at all.

    2. Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
      23rd February 2019, 15:40

      I’ve not really looked into it but the advert I saw showed the series focussed around the demise of the Williams team. That would make the title of the show a completely different context and not worth getting upset over.

      1. @phylyp @rdotquestionmark This is starting to sound like Netflix is attempting some sort of targeted marketing and, in common with every other attempt to target marketing, missed its aim with at least one segment of the potential audience.

        I’m going to guess there’s at least a quick reference (and more likely at least a sub-plot) to everything being advertised, but that we cannot make a solid assumption about what will be the prevailing narratives yet.

        1. @alianora-la-canta – fair enough. That said, in a way the advertising did work! I now know there’s an F1 show on Netflix this year as well, and will watch it when released :) So yay, I guess?

  2. I feel the COTD is a bit harsh on Frentzen. He had a single year in a top car, the 97 Williams, a year when both Williams and Ferrari were very much following the throw everything behind one driver philosophy. Before becoming a surpise and very genuine title contender in the 99 Jordan.

  3. Regarding the COTD. That could be it although we have to wait and see how things are going to pan out when Key will have had full influence on Mclaren car design.

    Losing both the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and COTA would be a shame. Hopefully, both would remain in F1 long-term especially the latter.

    1. I don’t think we have seen many ‘step ups’ in recent years following the hiring of key staff.
      Oftentimes the result was underwhelming at best.

      This can have many reasons: teams do not know where they are lacking, or the ‘key staff’ was not as material to the success at their previous team.

  4. I’m not enamoured with Extreme E. Dakar is very tough to beat in this regard.

  5. Race watchers aren’t as bad litterers as other groups that size, but in general, automobiles and their entourage trampling around in controlled mayhem, need to avoid sensitive areas. Really the idea of racing in the rain forest or over some arctic nesting ground, or any of the last wild places on earth is a misguided idea. I love rallying and hill climbs and stuff, but this idea is making my stomach churn. Lots of exciting country and vistas that we’ve already built on to go to. A race along the coast of Labrador or through the hills of Newfoundland for example.

  6. Re: Extreme E and how to avoid the whole thing being gross

    There is a special soft spot like where rot appears for the first time on a fruit. It’s a place where wealth and ignorance meet. Like when a bird is set to chase a target moving far faster than it can fly. Pitted against a metal monster that in no world of imagination it could ever match. Like a Christian put in the ring with a Lion. I felt sorry that I had been subjected to watching that. I felt only ashamed for Massa. This is what I fear for Extreme E as it has so far been defined.

  7. I doubt Renault will be the only ones not bringing major changes to Melbourne. It will take the first 3 or 4 races to reveal who has gone in the right direction with front wings and other body changes and who’s missed the mark a little.

    Then I expect a couple of teams to do some major upgrades.

Comments are closed.