Risky Renault Put It All On The Track

Renault will debut a radical new engine in their 2017 Formula 1 challenger which was unveiled overnight.

The RE17 95% different from the 2016 powerplant which had reached its maximum potential.

Bosses are confident they've unlocked a 0.3% seconds per lap performance improvement as they try and close the gap to Mercedes.

Managing director Cyril Abiteboul says reliability will also be a focus.

“We think that between 0.3 – 0.4 seconds is what we want to achieve over the course of the season with in-season development,” he said.

“But all of that will only be possible if we have the reliability, because if we don’t have reliability it really screws your engine introduction plan."

Red Bull and Toro Rosso will also run the new powerplant.

This year's paint job features the traditional yellow livery with a lot more splashes of black.

The factory squad are hoping to improve from a forgettable 2016 season which saw them finish 9th with just 8 points scored.

To help them move up the gird, German Nico Hulkenberg joins the team from Force India with Brit Jolyon Palmer keeping the other car.