• Renault news

Renault 'clearly in better shape' than last year - Boullier

Eric Boullier: "The R31 is very different from anything the team has produced before and we're very proud of that" © Sutton Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• Drivers:
• Eric Boullier
• |
• Nick Heidfeld
• |
• Robert Kubica
• |
• Vitaly Petrov

• Teams:
• Renault

Renault boss Eric Boullier is aiming for the top three in Australia and is confident his team is in even better shape than it was this time last year.

At the 2010 Australian Grand Prix Robert Kubica stood on the podium for Renault, after making the most of difficult conditions that saw Red Bull and Ferrari fall by the wayside. However, the car was not a regular in the top three last season and the team finished fifth in the constructors' championship overall.

This year Renault has cut its own path with the new R31, which features radical forward-exiting exhausts and has proved quick, if a little unreliable, in testing. Boullier is confident his team's understanding of the new car improved dramatically at the final test in Barcelona and is now ready to take a step forward on the grid this season.

"We have done an enormous amount of work over the last few weeks to really understand this car and get the performance from it," he said. "What I can say is that we are clearly in better shape in terms of ultimate performance compared to last year, which was our target. "

He said a repeat of Kubica's 2010 performance at Melbourne could be on the cards: "Last year we finished second with the help of the weather. I would love to do the same this year, without any help."

But Boullier admitted the R31's unique design has not been problem free, as the team has had cope with excess heat created by the exhausts around a sensitive part of the car.

"We had to build and produce lots of new technology for the car, but our resources are not unlimited and there were a couple of issues on the car, which have reduced our mileage," he said. "We have addressed those problems and I'm now feeling more confident than I was three weeks ago. The number one priority given this winter to our engineers: first of all make us a quick car, take risks, be innovative. The R31 is very different from anything the team has produced before and we're very proud of that."

Nick Heidfeld, who was recruited by Boullier after No.1 driver Kubica sustained serious injuries in a rallying accident earlier this year, is also confident Renault can trouble the front of the grid.

"We have an idea of where we stand, but nobody knows exactly," he said. "I think we have good performance in the car and, if everything is working well, I hope we can fight for podiums from the start of the season."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.