Formula One winter testing is now all wrapped up.
After 8 days of testing in Barcelona, everyone in the paddock is now trying to guess how well everyone has done, who are the main contenders and who could be struggling.
One of the teams hoping to impress in 2018 is French manufacturer Renault.
Their late charge towards the end of the 2017 Formula One World Championship seasons saw them leapfrog Toro Rosso and seal 6th place.
This season they will be looking to make further gains, with Williams and Force India standing in their way of a top five finish.
So how are they looking following testing?
It?s time. The whole is more than the sum of its parts according to someone not on instagram, and an F1 car has many many parts. It has a team too. And a racing spirit recognised throughout the paddock for over 40 years. It?s time. Let?s see what the R.S.18 can do. 👊#RSspirit pic.twitter.com/vT6sfxKL8L
? Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 26 February 2018
Renault completed a respectable 815 laps over the 8 days, less than Mercedes, Ferrari, Toro Rosso Honda and Williams but more than Renault customer teams Red Bull Racing and McLaren.
Carlos Sainz set the teams fastest time on day 8 using the hypersofts, his time of 1minute 18.092s was just 0.045s slower than the best time Red Bull Racing could muster.
Our hulky @HulkHulkenberg heads out for his first aero-run of the day, rear-raked to the max pic.twitter.com/rQa1iOo9pb
? Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 6 March 2018
‘We have been able to cover almost all our programme over the two weeks, with several notable achievements, including beating the record of laps around Barcelona for a day. We feel we have a good handle on the car, which is a step forward from last year, but we will need to wait until Australia to determine where we are in the order. Renault Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul told renaultsport.com.
And that’s us done for testing! We’ll see you all next on track @ausgrandprix, cheers @Carlossainz55 and @HulkHulkenberg #RSspirit #F1Testing #AusGP pic.twitter.com/pDvIV3iJ3S
? Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 9 March 2018
