For much of the last decade, Renault have been perennial challengers rather than race winners. Often doing well in qualifying, their task in the main race seems to be pressuring the Top 3 cars.

Embroiled in a midfield battle, they know how difficult it is to get the right start in races. And when the traffic jams up, how to get past it, towards attaining respectable points finishes.

This season has been no different. They rank 5th in the Constructors’ Standings with 99 points, only five behind rivals Racing Point. But Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul believes they lost out on a lot of points this year. And with the impending arrival of Fernando Alonso in 2021, those mistakes have to be reduced.

Renault looking for more stability ahead of 2021

It is hard to put a mark on what Renault’s standards are. Given that the Mercedes and Red Bull generally lock out the first two positions in the team standings, the real fight starts in the midfield.

Abiteboul, who also expressed his thoughts, believes that there is no room for continual errors. He is quoted as saying, “We left too many points behind. We know from Fernando that he doesn’t make any mistakes. We have no excuses. We have to improve on the execution on the track.” (translated from Google Translate)

Alonso, obviously, comes with a great reputation. And in what will possibly be his final few years in Formula 1, he wants to get out there and achieve success.

So, it could go either way for Renault here. That is, of course, keeping in mind the technical strengths and flaws of the car. They also need to correlate all the data from this season and see if they can achieve their short- and long-term objectives.

The RS-20 has the potential to offer more performance-wise

Renault’s car did look a tad bit sharper and faster than it had done in 2019, during winter testing in Barcelona. But much like any other pre-season, found out about the deficiencies during the races.

The RS-20 car has faced three retirements so far in 2020, twice with Esteban Ocon and once with Daniel Ricciardo. Particularly in Mugello, Ocon’s car faced heavy technical failures.

Racing Point and Mclaren will be biting at the midfield spots once again next year. The chance to improve now lies in the hands of Alonso and Renault, and if they are indeed up for the challenge.