Renault has announced changes at the top of its chassis and power unit organisations in the UK and France in anticipation of Formula 1’s coming rules changes in 2021.
The expansion of its managerial team is intended to support current engine technical director Remi Taffin and chassis technical director Nick Chester “increase their focus on the performance of the chassis and engine”, according to the team.At the Enstone-based chassis operation, Matt Harman moves from the role of deputy chief designer to engineering director, reporting to Chester. Harman joined the team last year following an 11-year stint at Mercedes, including seven years as the team’s head of powertrain integration and chassis design.
Meanwhile two new management positions have been created at the team’s Viry-Chatillon base, where its engines are developed. Christophe Mary will take up the role of director of engineering on August 1st. He previously held posts at Ferrari’s F1 team and Mercedes High Performance Engines.
Stephane Rodriguez, who has been with Renault since 2001, has been appointed the team’s new project and purchasing director. Like Mary, he will report to Taffin. Harman, Mary and Rodriguez will also join the team’s management board.
Don't miss anything new from RaceFans
Follow RaceFans on social media:
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2021 F1 season
- Verdict on error in GT race suggests Mercedes would have lost 2021 Abu Dhabi GP appeal
- Title ‘stolen’ from Mercedes made us ‘underdogs people cheer for’ – Wolff
- Red Bull Racing spent £230m during Verstappen’s title-winning 2021 campaign
- ‘I can’t box?’: Hamilton and Verstappen’s 2021 Abu Dhabi GP radio transcript
- Abu Dhabi’s legacy one year on: How the controversial 2021 finale changed F1
Phylyp (@phylyp)
8th May 2019, 14:59
I’m curious if this signals a shift in their “works team on a midfield budget” mentality, or not? I think that despite a proposed budget cap, they can likely increase their spend on their development programme and sunk costs on infrastructure (e.g. wind tunnels).
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
9th May 2019, 11:36
One would hope so but I’m not holding my breath.
They definitely javent shown the progress I’d hoped for but then with the rubbish that Pirelli call tyres this year I think a number of teams have been caught out.
Kurik
9th May 2019, 15:02
Yeah…the tyres are clearly an issue for the teams and probably masking real performance. They nonetheless need to do some serious work on the chassis though as Mclaren is spanking them just like Red Bull was when they were using their engine. Sad to see but hopefully this change helps.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
8th May 2019, 23:37
So a’m i @phylyp at the moment Renault are not doing their brand any good at all. They need to be in the top three before they can be taken seriously.
They need to beat Mclaren, HAAS and then RB before that happens…they have a way to go.