Q: Fred, you were one of the most successful team bosses in Formula One feeder series - and suddenly you find yourself as an F1 team principal. Can you sum up your first one hundred or so days? Fred Vasseur: It’s a bit tough. When Renault took over the company was a bit 'dead'. On top of that we took over very late - at the end of December - so to say the least, it is not easy. The car was already designed around a Mercedes engine, so we had to change basically everything. And to make things more difficult the car was not developed during all of last season. So I have to say that the team in Enstone did a fantastic job getting a car to the [pre-season] Barcelona tests. Given all that, we couldn’t expect to be fast on track. My role was to supervise all these last minute actions - and there have been a lot of things that had to be sorted out. We hired new people and we had to invest a lot and each single department needed an overhaul - so it is a mountain to climb.

When we climb, success will be even sweeter as we know where we started from! Fred Vasseur

Q: In your previous life you ran teams who were generally at the front of the grid - now you start pretty much from the back. How does that feel? FV: Again, tough. But when we climb, success will be even sweeter as we know where we started from! (laughs) I knew that there would be a massive challenge when I signed the contract.



Q: F1 racing is not only about competing - it is also about politics. Some call the paddock a shark pool. What is your impression? FV: Yes, it is! (laughs) But I have the big advantage that I know the majority of the team owners and team principals here, because many of their drivers went through my hands. Yes, it is much more political than everything I have done before, but I know how to survive here - even though it is not the most fun part of my job.



Q: The first three races of 2016 were difficult for Renault, to say the least. Renault Sport F1’s managing director Cyril Abiteboul asked for ‘immediate action’. Given the state of the team you took over, isn’t there a huge gap between expectations and reality? What’s a realistic time frame for success? FV: The roadmap given by Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn was clear: this is a midterm project that demands a lot of investment and at the end of these investments podiums and wins should be on the ‘credit side’. But first of all we have to understand the situation.



Q: How far are you into that process of ‘understanding the situation’? FV: We have a clear view now. We know pretty well where we have to invest - and we are doing it. We want to do everything properly, so we need to not rush. We prefer to do it properly, and maybe lose a couple of months, than do it hastily and follow a wrong direction.



Q: How helpful is it that Renault have such a long F1 history? In the beginning all new teams say that they have patience - but that patience often runs out quickly if success is slow in coming… FV: You have to find a good compromise between patience - or maybe patience is not the right word… between doing it properly and not losing time. Time is passing. Every two weeks you have another race, so we have to find a good compromise between the midterm goal and the day-to-day business.



Q: We have seen Red Bull Racing not doing badly so far this year - which suggests that the Renault power unit has improved significantly. That means it must be the Renault chassis that is holding you back. Is that so? FV: No, no. We are working on both. On the engine side the next step will come soon, and for 2017 we will have a huge step. Both Viry and Enstone are working flat out. Fact is that you cannot win based only on one component - but if one is not working you will never win!

On the engine side the next step will come soon, and for 2017 we will have a huge step. Fred Vasseur