Renault's technical director Bob Bell says his team is hitting its deadlines for its 2017 car as it continues to rebuild its facilities back at its Enstone base.
Renault prepared itself for a difficult season in 2016 as it retook control of the Enstone-based team and started to rebuild what was left of Lotus at the end of last year. It has scored seven points in 16 races with an outdated chassis this year, but Bell says the 2017 project is still on course as the team looks to take advantage of major regulation changes to move up the grid.
"Back at the factories, we are meeting milestone deadlines with the practical process of drawing the components, getting them made and bringing them together," he said. "This is a very involved and complex process and is largely on-track at the moment. The hunt for performance in those components continues unabated!"
Bell said work on the current car is focused on areas that will offer performance next season as well.
"We still continue to work on development in Malaysia, a carry-on from what we've done in Singapore and some of that is relevant for next year. Next year, of course, there are big changes coming into force with completely different aero packages, so it's more the direction of the concepts rather than the physical changes we make to this year's car."
The impact of Renault's investment in the team is already being felt back at base, according to Bell.
"As a team we have progressed well since the beginning of the year. Recruitment has been key these past few months, and still is. Although the aim is to have around 650 employees it is always about quality not quantity. We can see visible signs of change even walking around the sites compared to what it was six months ago. You can see the increased headcount and renewed facilities. The changes are palpable and we feel a sense of achievement which at the moment is not yet visible on track. Beneath the surface wheels are most certainly turning."