While Renault can legitimately claim to be the 'best of the rest' behind Formula One's big three teams Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, the gap to the front is still significant.
At the opening four rounds of the season, the two Renaults have regularly featured in the top ten in qualifying, but the average gap to pole position has still been a whopping 1.746s. The French manufacturer is hoping to eliminate that gap entirely over the next two years as it aims to fight for wins and titles by 2020 and has set a target of reducing it to just 0.5s by the end of 2018.
The targets seem ambitious for a team that has not finished higher than fifth since its return to the sport as a full factory outfit in 2016, but Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul believes it is on target to achieve its goals.
"Last year we managed to out-develop all teams, including the top teams," he told ESPN. "We started two seconds off the pace from the top teams and we finished the season one second away from the top teams.
"OK, we are starting this year more than one second or so from the top teams, but if we also manage to out-develop like we did last year, the target that we have set ourselves of finishing half a second away from them by the end of the year is an achievable one. I think we have the talent, skills and also the resources to achieve that, so let's see.
"I think that we still struggle in the winter to produce a car at the level of our expectations [for the start of the season] and there is reason to that, but I am sure that by putting more work we will be able to also improve that aspect in the next few years."
Since acquiring a run-down shell of a team from its previous owners two years ago, the French manufacturer has invested heavily in its Enstone base to bring it up to the level of a top team. Staff levels have increased from 475 at the end of 2015 to 640, with the aim of reaching 700 by the end of this year. The investment is now starting to come online, but when Abiteboul compares his team to those of his rivals he still sees one significant area for improvement.
"The investment, building and expansion is all done," he said. "We've completed the tranche related to engineering and design, we are just doing a tranche for electronics and the next tranche will be for production.
"We are still massively behind in terms of production and I was touching briefly before on the fact that we are still not great over the winter in developing a car that is immediately in the level of our expectations. One of the reasons for that is the fact that we are still much weaker than the other teams in terms of production facility, we are much slower.
"So the problem is when we have to produce a car with the level of sophistication of these cars, in particular cars of a top team, we need to have a model of a to team which means very integrated -- not a model like Force India or Haas, which, without being controversial, is a different model.
"Our choice is to become a top team, to become a top team we need to be integrated, but in order to be integrated it takes a bit of time in building space, in infrastructure, in composite room and then in terms of people. That tranche is our next focus.
"Right now we focused on upstream engineering: aero, the vehicle performance group, simulator, design office -- all of that is done or being done. The next tranche will be production so we can shorten the lead time in terms of production so that we can meet the ambition, and in particular the complexity of modern F1 cars."
Renault's most high-profile and controversial signing in the past year has been the hiring of the former head of the FIA's technical department, Marcin Budkowski. His arrival at Enstone was delayed from January to the start of April after rival teams expressed concerns he would bring technical secrets from his FIA role to Renault, but he has now started work in his new role.
Abiteboul explained that Budkowski will mainly be factory based and will work above technical director Nick Chester and operational director Rob White at Enstone.
"Marcin role is really very simple, he will be in charge of all technical and operational matters in Enstone -- running the show, running the factory on a day-to-day basis. He will be doing some things I frankly can't do because I can't be everywhere, I can't be in Viry and in Enstone and at the race and meeting sponsors and with Renault -- I can't do that. So I needed someone who was taking responsibility for today and tomorrow's future at Enstone on those matters. He was in Azerbaijan because it is important for him to understand how we are structured in terms of racing activities, because we need to have a perfect connection, a seamless connection, between the track and Enstone.
"The way that we are structured is fairly clear. Nick is our technical director and reports to Marcin in that capacity, just like Rob White is the operational director in Enstone and reports to Marcin. Nick is in charge of the development of the car and Rob in charge of the manufacturing of the car and the facilities."
Abiteboul said the role differs from that of chief technical officer Bob Bell, who oversees all operations on both the chassis and engine sides.
"And Bob, in his capacity of chief technical officer, has the responsibility of making sure that, as a group, Renault Sport Racing -- Enstone, Viry, plus all our technical partners, including Renault -- are delivering the best possible product in terms of financial trade-off, resources trade-off, but also technical trade-off between engine, chassis, gearbox but also with technical partners. This is under the direct responsibility of Bob in perfect co-ordination with Marcin, Nick and myself, and Remi Taffin on the engine side."