If they stay it will be more back to its roots, like the original team...

[veeten]

... Renault F1, that is.

You will probably have a more Franco-centric driving team, as the possibility of Montagny, Sarrazin, and Bourdais comes to the fore, similar to the original team of Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Rene Arnoux. A more minimal, but stable team as is seen with others at present.

Just my observances, discuss at leisure. :)

[K-Pu]

It will always depend on the sponsors... It always does.

What I´d like to see is Renault going back to their original yellow livery. Bring back the yellow kettles!

[Valve Bounce]

The Renault name will not disappear from F1 because their engines will be required by some teams. Maybe one of the teams will get an arrangement similar to what Frank had. Hard to forecast what the Renault Board of Directors will decide, as the Sleazy Flav fallout has damaged the company's reputation.

[wedge]

Montagny, Sarrazin, and Bourdais.

Not a chance

They'e doing just fine with Peugeot.

[Nate_ST]

Since ING pulled out of the Renault sponsorship, perhaps AIG will put their name on the car when Renault comes back.

To be serious I really hope Renault recovers from this. I don't want to see this whole team completely gone from F1 because of the actions of three idiots. Please come back Renault and continue to be a power in F1... in two years.

[Saint Devote]

The Renault name will not disappear from F1 because their engines will be required by some teams. Maybe one of the teams will get an arrangement similar to what Frank had. Hard to forecast what the Renault Board of Directors will decide, as the Sleazy Flav fallout has damaged the company's reputation.

The scandal has no more damaged their reputation - especially in France - than the Mclaren scandal damaged Mercedes.

People are not stupid and are able to distinguish rather than generalize.

Sure sponsors have left but ING was going to leave anayway and opportunism cannot be ruled out either. BUt Renault itself is supplying enough money and of course the giant Total Oil.

[Saint Devote]

The Renault MD Jean-Francois Caubet said immediately after the race that the team would be constituted differently and remaining in f1, and also paid tribute to Flavio Briatore fior what he achieved with the racing team.

The future of Renault f1 is not at stake it will be different thats all.

If they start collapsing in a way that the other auto manufacturers did then they could very well leave - and Caubet said this yesteday.

[Valve Bounce]

The scandal has no more damaged their reputation - especially in France - than the Mclaren scandal damaged Mercedes.

People are not stupid and are able to distinguish rather than generalize.

l.

This is your esteemed opinion, but not what I have read in the press. And No! I don't have a link nor do I intend to look for one. The general public don't care much for F1 but they have read that Renault were involved in and have admitted to a race fixing scandal. So there!!

[Valve Bounce]

The Renault MD Jean-Francois Caubet said immediately after the race that the team would be constituted differently and remaining in f1, and also paid tribute to Flavio Briatore fior what he achieved with the racing team.

.

Yeah!! we know! that's why Sleazy Flav departed the team after they interrogated him about the Race Fixing.

[F1boat]

But not all are puritans, Valve. Most people would like Renault to stay. Despite, with time I am sure that only die hard Flav haters will remember Nelson jr. crash, while Alonso's victory will stay forever :)

[Roamy]

renault is fine
think of the 200 people working there. they knew nothing.

[truefan72]

renault are going nowhere and the scandal does not really impact them that negatively IMO as it was the action of 2 people really, and that is still under dispute as to who instigated the idea.

Renault will be fine and they will get some new sponsors for 2010. Maybe not to the degree of ING who were over their heads anyway, judging by their state of business. They had overreached on several fronts in the past few years, with flashy sponsorships, the attempt to open up ING cafe's around the world and a 3 year sponsorship that would make even bankers blush. (sadly for them coming in one year too late on those Renaults)

[Valve Bounce]

But not all are puritans, Valve. Most people would like Renault to stay. Despite, with time I am sure that only die hard Flav haters will remember Nelson jr. crash, while Alonso's victory will stay forever :)

Hey!! I am happy to have Renault remain in F1. They got rid of Sleazy Flav, and that's what was needed. You cannot blame Renault for what these two got up to. And Renault owned up as soon as they found out what really happened. Can't ask for more.

[Knock-on]

I'm all in favour of them getting their house in order but think they need to be a bit more definate about it.

Alonso had a good opportunity at the weekend to do just that when asked if he considered last years Singapore victory as a valid one for his record.

He replied that he 100% did which I find staggering when he knows his team cheated to buy him that victory.

Perhaps words haven't filtered down to root and branch yet but their #1 driver and someone that may have been unwittingly implicated in the scandal doesn't appreciate the gravity of the situation and indeed, is quite happy to reap the benefits from cheating, then not much seems to have changed.

[ClarkFan]

think of the 200 people working there. they knew nothing.

That probably accounts for their racing results this year!

:p

ClarkFan

[ClarkFan]

renault are going nowhere and the scandal does not really impact them that negatively IMO as it was the action of 2 people really, and that is still under dispute as to who instigated the idea.

Renault will be fine and they will get some new sponsors for 2010. Maybe not to the degree of ING who were over their heads anyway, judging by their state of business. They had overreached on several fronts in the past few years, with flashy sponsorships, the attempt to open up ING cafe's around the world and a 3 year sponsorship that would make even bankers blush. (sadly for them coming in one year too late on those Renaults)
The ING-Renault breakup just reflects the state of banking/finance. I would assume that RBS is leaving Williams, too. Santander is apparently the only bank in motor racing whose checks aren't being stamped "return to maker."

The larger problem is that F1 (and all motorsport) needs a new generation of title sponsors. Tobacco filled this role for many years starting with Gold Leaf Team Lotus in 1968. When they got banned, the banks stepped in with their Ponzi proceeds. That went "poof" fairly quickly, and now team principals can be found on street corners carrying "Will Race for $$$" signs. But no one seems to know where the main lode of advertisers is, the group of firms that can be mined to sponsor multiple teams.

Could be some lean times ahead....

ClarkFan

[K-Pu]

And, of course, a manufacturer thinks it twice before sponsoring their own cars. Who could commit suicide that way? Aren´t there banks ready to spend gazillions in something they don´t care at all? Or some obscure corporation? What could happen if we get...

... a Renault with Renault as title sponsor? We have seen it at Singapore, but they still have ING colours... They´ll surely preserve that orange-white-yellow livery until next season but, as I said before, they could try to go back to their "original" yellow.

And this could sound a bit stupid, but sponsors give quite a lot of "personality" to a car. I mean, since the livery is decided by the one who´s wasting money, sometimes you get really good looking cars and sometimes you get abominations. A good example are the "Rothmans-Williams" family, but some time later they got that red livery which said nothing (at least IMVHO).

Thinking about what´s the best livery for a car is deeply pointless, but sometimes it´s the best thing you can get from a team :D .

[truefan72]

The ING-Renault breakup just reflects the state of banking/finance. I would assume that RBS is leaving Williams, too. Santander is apparently the only bank in motor racing whose checks aren't being stamped "return to maker."

The larger problem is that F1 (and all motorsport) needs a new generation of title sponsors. Tobacco filled this role for many years starting with Gold Leaf Team Lotus in 1968. When they got banned, the banks stepped in with their Ponzi proceeds. That went "poof" fairly quickly, and now team principals can be found on street corners carrying "Will Race for $$$" signs. But no one seems to know where the main lode of advertisers is, the group of firms that can be mined to sponsor multiple teams.

Could be some lean times ahead....

ClarkFan
lol, nice one

you would have thought that the .com's would be the next wave, but they are just as fickle as other businesses and many times more volatile. I think with a proper revenue sharing system in F1 along with a rethinking of the sponsorship approach the state of sponsor opportunities will survive.I know part of the lore about F1 is the glitz and glamor surrounding the sport, but with today's tv audience and global reach via the internet etc. I think the sport has moved past the interests of only the rich and famous. So drop the ridiculous motor homes, and expensive parties, and other wasteful amenities and concentrate on racing.

[V12]

I do like the idea of a yellow black and white Renault, although to be fair it wouldn't look the same with Boringstone and Total logos instead of Michelin and Elf :(

[jens]

To me one of the key questions is that who will be Renault's new team principal, because Bob Bell is first and foremost a technical director and I'm not sure if he is that gifted in being a team principal. It seems like Bell is clearly a temporary emergency option as a replacement of Flavio, not a permanent solution.

[V12]

To me one of the key questions is that who will be Renault's new team principal, because Bob Bell is first and foremost a technical director and I'm not sure if he is that gifted in being a team principal. It seems like Bell is clearly a temporary emergency option as a replacement of Flavio, not a permanent solution.

I hope I'm wrong for their sake, but with the noises Renault are making I could see them parachuting a "corporate" type from their company into the position, Toyota/Jaguar style.