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Written by Joe Holding
So Renault"s takeover of Lotus is fully underway. How did we end up here?Last summer it looked like Renault were contemplating a wholesale exit from F1 following a horrendous breakdown in their relationship with engine customers Red Bull.Dietrich Mateschitz"s team were deeply unsatisfied with the power unit their partners had provided for 2015, a feeling they repeatedly made clear as the two parties drifted further and further apart.It eventually led to an early termination of Red Bull"s contract with Renault, although the Austrian team were forced into a partial backtrack for the coming season after failing to secure a deal with Ferrari, Mercedes or Honda.As a result Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat will continue to use Renault-built engines in 2016, although they will be branded as TAG Heuer units in an effort to draw attention away from what should be a temporary compromise.Didn"t they quit F1 quite recently?They scaled back their operations for the 2010 season after selling a large percentage of their team, and have continued as an engine manufacturer since then.But as highlighted last year, when things began to go badly they became an easy target for negative press. Red Bull who weren"t blameless for the loss of performance were vociferous in their criticism of Renault, who felt they deserved more respect so soon after the four straight world titles together in both the drivers and constructors championships.
Date written: 4 Feb 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 2020
So Renault"s takeover of Lotus is fully underway. How did we end up here?Last summer it looked like Renault were contemplating a wholesale exit from F1 following a horrendous breakdown in their relationship with engine customers Red Bull.Dietrich Mateschitz"s team were deeply unsatisfied with the power unit their partners had provided for 2015, a feeling they repeatedly made clear as the two parties drifted further and further apart.It eventually led to an early termination of Red Bull"s contract with Renault, although the Austrian team were forced into a partial backtrack for the coming season after failing to secure a deal with Ferrari, Mercedes or Honda.As a result Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat will continue to use Renault-built engines in 2016, although they will be branded as TAG Heuer units in an effort to draw attention away from what should be a temporary compromise.Didn"t they quit F1 quite recently?They scaled back their operations for the 2010 season after selling a large percentage of their team, and have continued as an engine manufacturer since then.But as highlighted last year, when things began to go badly they became an easy target for negative press. Red Bull who weren"t blameless for the loss of performance were vociferous in their criticism of Renault, who felt they deserved more respect so soon after the four straight world titles together in both the drivers and constructors championships.
Date written: 4 Feb 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 2020
