Renault's RS 17 chassis will enjoy another evolution in Barcelona this weekend as the French outfit follows the upgrade trend which will be in full force in Spain.
After a front-wing update in Russia destined to cure its race pace issues, Renault's latest package includes a modified rear wing as well as new bargeboards.
According to chassis technical director Nick Chester, the outlook is positive.
"We’ve been qualifying well so far this season, then Sochi showed a useful improvement to our race pace," he said.
"We’ve still got a few more upgrades on the aerodynamic package for Spain, so we’re reasonably positive.
"The upgrades we used in Sochi worked as expected so we made a useful step in our race pace whilst maintaining qualifying pace. There’s still more to do in this area, but we’re heading in the right direction.
"We’re in the midfield fight where we expected to be, but it’s a very close battle here so we need to ensure we seize every advantage possible from the car and how we use it."
Although teams will be on very familiar terrain, the Circuit de Catalunya still offers its own set of challenges, especially in the tyre department.
"Even though we know it really well from all the testing we do there, it is quite a tough circuit," Chester adds.
"It’s very much a downforce track with a lot of high and medium speed corners where you need the aero package really working for you.
"It’s also a location that’s hard on tyres because the corners are so quick with their loadings. It’s tough for both the front and rear, meaning that keeping tyre temperatures under control is a challenge, especially in the last part of the lap where the rear tyres can overheat."
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