Fast Renault News

GP2 team BCN have dropped Ricardo Risatti before the start of the season after the Argentine failed to come up with his promised budget.

Because they blend fact with fiction, historical novels are tricky to write. But they can be wonderful to read: history is full of holes; historical fiction fills them in.

A MUM and her baby were travelling in a car when it was slammed into a wall by another vehicle in Calderdale.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's controversial budget measure angers businesses

Mexico: Saturday Quotes

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is coming under extreme pressure to change or drop an arcane measure in last Monday's budget that critics say will severely curtail the ability of Canadian companies to grow and expand into global markets.

A POPULAR pupil described as "the brightest and the best" was killed in a car accident at the weekend. Award-winning Falkirk High School student Matthew Reid (17) had already accepted a place at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University and was ready to build upon his many academic achievements.

TO be among the best and to prove that motorsport in Asia can race to the same level as their European and American counterparts. That’s what Tara-DTM will set out to do when the Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS) begins its season at the Sepang Circuit on May 5-6.

POSCO chief meets Finance, Industry Ministers The Chairman of Korean steel maker POSCO, Mr Ku Taek Lee, met the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, on Friday to appraise him of the progresses in the company's Orissa project. He also met the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr ...

A 21-year-old suffers life-threatening head injuries in a two-car crash in Surrey.

A MUM and her baby were travelling in a car when it was slammed into a wall by another vehicle in Calderdale.

to keep Scotland beautiful, but instead found a business opportunity just waiting to happen.

General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, urged investors to reject all 10 shareholder proposals at its June 5 annual meeting and re-elect its board.

A Surbiton man suffered life-threatening head injuries in a crash last night. The 21-year-old man was in the back seat of a Renault Clio when it collided with a Subaru Legacy at the junction of the Ewell bypass and Cheam Road at around 7.30pm on Friday (March 23).

A pedestrian has been killed in an accident while crossing the freeway in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni metro police have said.

French auto manufacturer Renault has spent E135 million on a new spare parts distribution center in order to deal with the increase in activity as a result of the 26 new models involved in the Renault Commitment 2009.

Julian Beltrame March 23, 2007 - 4:13 p.m. OTTAWA (CP) - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is coming under extreme pressure to change or drop an arcane measure in last Monday's budget that critics say will severely curtail the ability of Canadian companies to grow and expand into global markets.

Many things have gone wrong with this car, but the main problem I have is the electric key will not work to open and close the doors. Has anybody had the same problem, and is there a way I can fix this problem apart, from the obvious of changing the battery.

Ahead of taking up his drive in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with Team RAC, Tom Onslow-Cole has enjoyed a test in a Renault Megane Trophy racer as part of his prize for winning the 2006 Renault Clio Cup.

Hello all. I have owened my Corsa 18 for just under a year. I have owened a few sporty cars, such as Renault 5 Gt Turbo, Renault 19 16v, Golf GTI 16v and an Escort RS Turbo. Some great cars in there own right. However, I can honestly say that the 18 Corsa is the best of the bunch.

A WOMAN was knocked down by a Renault Laguna in a road traffic collision at Station Road, Wyke, at 4.05pm today.

Renault is serious about production in South Africa, according to a local motoring website.

Renault explains how to win the F1 tech race

March 23 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp. Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner received $2.8 million in restricted stock, his first grants since 2003, after he cut losses to $2 billion last year from $10.4 billion a year earlier.

Eighteen transit vans have been broken into and tools worth thousands of pounds stolen.

A top Renault official has confirmed that the French carmaker is serious about production in South Africa.

A top Renault official has confirmed that the French carmaker is serious about production in South Africa.

Renault's director of engineering, Pat Symonds, reviews the Australian Grand Prix and rates his two drivers' performances...

In record time, Romsys has designed and implemented the integrated information system that pilots the logistics of the national distribution of Dacia vehicles, Suggestively called Distridac, the system is a world wide first for Dacia Renault plants just as it is for the entire automotive industry in Romania. The unicity of the project resides in the complex number of operations handled by the ...

Food City 500

OTTAWA and TORONTO — Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's office declared yesterday that it has no intention of backing away from a controversial budget move to scrap the tax deductibility of interest that companies incur to fund foreign operations.

Rookie Heikki Kovalainen says his confidence is intact despite his Melbourne setback.

Suzuki is now offering a three-door diesel Grand Vitara from next month, a 1.9 DDiS model priced £14,999. Power output from the Renault-supplied intercooled and turbocharged engine is 127bhp, and a 221lb/ft of torque peaking at 2000rpm.

LONDON (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton's dream debut in Australia last weekend gave him membership of a select, but not exactly great, group of Formula One drivers.

Located at the heart of Sao Paulo, Brasil, Renault Design America Latina acts as a fully operational Design Center among the Renault Design Center Network.

It was a disaster admits Kovalainen

A commuter bus crashed into a residential building in Bulgaria's second largest city Plovdid on Thursday. The bus hit a Renault Megane, which was moving in the wrong lane. The driver of the car was taken to the nearest hospital in a grave condition, his life is in danger.

F1 rookie, Heikki Kovalainen has admitted that team boss Flavio Briatore was right to say his debut event with the team was 'rubbish'.

Renault driver Heikki Kovalainen says he understands Flavio Briatore's criticism following the Finn's dismal Australian Grand Prix.

Stephen Jelley set the fastest time on the second day of British Formula Three testing at Croft on Wednesday.

Renault and circuit branding from ING : ING has launched its first ever global advertising campaign, supporting the ING Renault F1 Team sponsorship and on-track branding activities.

River Rollers - Janet Dyer 488, Antoinette Volpe 187-484, Louise Carney 190-483, Barbara Feo 468, Ann Podusczczak 184-458 Survivors - Leonard Recchia 247-596, Bill Duval 258-574, Carmine Zingaro 246-558, Donald Randall 214-552, Russ Polizzotti 550, Marion Dean 183-522, Mary Morrone 193-517, Barbara Ketcham 188-513, Jo Ann Bostrup 191-505, Grace Elson 475

Renault has spent EUR135m on a new spare parts distribution centre that it says will allow it to make optimal use of its warehouses and to cope with the increase in activity generated by the 26 new models included in Renault Commitment 2009.

Renault’s Pat Symonds is confident there will be no repeat of Heikki Kovalainen’s disappointing Australian performance at round two in Malaysia next month. Kovalainen finished tenth in Melbourne - five places behind team mate Giancarlo Fischella - after a difficult debut.

A challenge always expected amongst team-mates : Reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso has played down suggestions that Lewis Hamilton looks set to be his toughest team-mate yet in Formula One.

Renault South Africa has entered the baby bomber wars with a high-performance, two-litre Renaultsport version of its Clio and we got to drive it on an airstrip - boy, does this car go!

A LAMP-POST fell on to a major road after being hit by a motorist.

Grip issues may be a Melbourne one-off : Giancarlo Fisichella and Pat Symonds have given a mixed appraisal of Renault's uncompetitive showing at the 2007 opener.

Renault South Africa appears close to securing the contract to assemble a low-cost vehicle, the Logan, locally, claim newspaper reports.

Full Throttle Your weekly fix of motoring and motorsport news. The Tech Set A weekly dose of gadget and technology news. Buying a car? Tired of your old car? In the market for a new set of wheels?

While Pahrump Valley Speedway racers enjoyed a rare weekend off, the American Le Mans Series was running its second endurance race, the 55 th anniversary of the legendary 12 hours of Sebring.

Bucharest - The net profit of Dacia in 2006 accounted for 10 per cent of the overall profit of Renault. In 2005 Dacia reported a profit figure 76 per cent lower than last year. At the end of 2006 the net profit of Dacia exceeded EUR 100 M.

The Romanian Agency for Foreign Investments (ARIS) signed on Wednesday, with the French group Renault, the memorandum regarding the implementation of the investment project for the construction at Titu of a center for the design and development of car models, a project estimated at EUR 450 M, sources from ARIS say, quoted by Mediafax.

Giancarlo Fisichella has backed Renault to bounce back from their disappointing start to the Formula One season in Malaysia in a fortnight.

In an F1 team, the man you have to beat more than anyone else is your team-mate. So how did things shake out after the Australian GP?

Pat Symonds, Renault's executive director of engineering, reviews the Australian Grand Prix and reflects on how it affected the team. Q: Pat, several days have now passed since the race in Melbourne. What conclusions have you drawn?

Iran exports so much oil and imports so much from the West that strong sanctions would be likely to deal significant damage to its economy and force it to back away from its nuclear ambitions, says the Weekly Standard .

Heikki Kovalainen has vowed to step out of the shadow of fellow rookie Lewis Hamilton when the Formula One circus hits Malaysia next month.

Q&A with Pat Symonds

Renault’s managing director of engineering Pat Symonds has defended Heikki Kovalainen’s performance in the Australian Grand Prix, after team boss Flavio Briatore described the rookie driver’s opening race as “rubbish.”

Alan Candy finds the peerless Renault Scenic pulling further ahead, with a raft of important improvements (21/03/2007 14:30:27)

Fernando Alonso has chosen to return to Europe in the interval between the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix, unlike most of the other drivers.

Expecting Kovalainen to learn from Melbourne : It was a difficult start to the season for defending Champions Renault with Giancarlo Fisichella finishing fifth and Heikki Kovalainen finishing out of the points in tenths position.

Giancarlo Fisichella is confident Renault will be more competitive in the Malaysian GP after the team made a lacklustre start to its title defence in Melbourne.

SAN JOSE, Calif.----Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced that Renault Group, one of the world's leading carmakers, has adopted Adobe® Acrobat® 3D software to extend 3D visualization and design collaboration capabilities across its extended enterprise of employees and supply chain partners.

Spyker undecided on Friday driver at Sepang : Despite previous reports to the contrary, it is now not certain that test driver Fairuz Fauzy will appear for the Spyker team on the Friday of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Toyota has revealed that currently it has no intention of producing a B-spec car this season, even though they were someway of the front runners in Australia.

Better qualification needed admits Head : Williams can challenge F1's reigning World Champions Renault in 2007.

Renault’s weekend in Melbourne was far from perfect. The R27 lacked pace, new signing Heikki Kovalainen received a rebuke from team boss Flavio Briatore, and their four-point haul provided cold comfort compared to last year’s ten.

Lewis Hamilton has targeted a World Championship within three years following his astonishing F1 debut at the Australian GP. The rookie stole the Melbourne limelight by guiding his McLaren to third place with a performance that Niki Lauda described as the best he had ever seen from a debutant.

Lewis Hamilton has targeted a World Championship within three years following his astonishing F1 debut at the Australian GP.

A pedestrian dies after he was struck by a car while crossing a road in a Hampshire village.

Poor Melbourne showing discussed : Heikki Kovalainen met privately with Renault boss Flavio Briatore after his disastrous Formula One debut in Melbourne last Sunday.

Deliveries plunge; truckers bought heavily last year to beat new, expensive emissions technology. February sales of Mack Trucks were down nearly 50 percent as the company endured an expected drop in sales that has forced the layoffs of 450 workers in recent months.

DUBAI — Khalid Al Mutawaa, Mohammed Al Abdoli and Thani Al Falasi, winners of the HSBC Racing Academy, returned last week from France, after their second motor sport training at the (FFSA) Auto Sports Academy.

MALAYSIANS won’t get a chance to see Fairuz Fauzy (pic) on board the Spyker F1 car in the three-day official tests at Sepang on March 29-31.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden--Total deliveries of trucks from the Volvo Group ’ s (STO:VOLVA) (STO:VOLAB) three truck companies decreased 13% through February this year, compared with the year-earlier period.

Bad connection when regulating the fan. You have to turn it up and down until you get connection. Very hard to start at sub-zero degrees Celsius. The outer velocity joint broke down, had to change the drive-shaft.

Hi, just reading the comments about the renault megane coupe immobiliser failure. I too am having the same problem and this is the second unit that I've had to replace.

Renault's Pat Symonds says errors are to be expected in Heikki Kovalainen's rookie season.

DEARBORN, Mich./PARIS — Renault says it will hire more technicians to cut workloads at its technical center near Paris after three suicides by employees since October.

Pat Symonds agrees Heikki Kovalainen's Formula One debut in Australia was one to quickly forget. But Renault's director of engineering wouldn't go as far as team boss Flavio Briatore, who called the Finn's performance "rubbish".

Renault's managing director of engineering Pat Symonds has defended Heikki Kovalainen's performance in the Australian Grand Prix.

Over 100,000 Iranians have bought Renault’s Logan car within a week of it going on sale, marking a success for the French manufacturer in its first investment in Iran since the 1979 revolution.

Swedish truck maker Volvo Group said Tuesday that deliveries through February dropped 13 percent primarily on fewer sales in its Mack truck division.

Renault boss Flavio Briatore believes Formula One’s switch to a single tyre supplier has hit his team hardest

Heikki Kovalainen bears no grudges against Flavio Briatore after the Renault team boss publicly slammed his Australian GP debut.

Schumacher moves in to his Swiss Mansion : Fernando Alonso has bucked the trend of his racing peers by electing to return to Europe between the opening two flyaway rounds of the season.

Williams racer looks back at the DC shunt : Alex Wurz has admitted that he is lucky to have escaped uninjured following his clash with David Coulthard in Melbourne on Sunday.

LONDON----Lombardi®, the leader in Business Process Management software for Global 2000 companies, today announced that Maxime Ouellet, a Business Analyst and Project Leader at Renault F1 Team, will present his BPM experiences in a case-study session during Gartner's 2007 European Business Process Management Summit on March 26 - 28, 2007 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, in London, UK.

Want tickets to see Team RAC in action at Brands Hatch? Well, its RAC to the Rescue, as Crash.net have joined forces with RAC to give you the chance to win tickets to the opening round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Renault's president Alain Dassas shares his thoughts on Sunday's Australian Grand Prix and the team's inability to finish on the podium.

Pressure on as Piquet keeps tabs from the pit wall : Giancarlo Fisichella has not escaped Flavio Briatore's acid tongue in the Renault chief's critique of the Australian Grand Prix.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden----Total deliveries of trucks from the Volvo Group's three truck companies decreased 13% through February this year, compared with the year-earlier period. Deliveries from Mack were down 47%, while deliveries from Renault Trucks were down 17%.

MELBOURNE: Formula One's move to a single tyre supplier has hit champions Renault hardest, team boss Flavio Briatore said after Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Sqeeking Brakes. Rattles from Dash and cabin. Steering knocks over bumps. The good news: good looking, Well build, Comfortable seats, The 1.5cdi engine is economical and performwell, Safe Handling and excelent safety levels.

DEARBORN, Mich./PARIS — Renault says it will hire more technicians to cut workloads at its technical center near Paris after three suicides by employees since October.

The Renault group will open an automobile design centre in Bucharest.

Renault has pinpointed F1's switch to Bridgestone as a reason for its drop in form.

Renault F1 president Alain Dassas says Kovalainen can become a star in F1 in time.

Mine is standard, but came with 195/50/16 alloys and tyres which are not standard, but the low end performance is brutal 0-60 in 8 seconds with more torque than the tyres can handle however my redline starts at 6 but the engine tops out at 5750rpm with peak power at 4500. this to me seems strange as the counter ends at 7000rpm is this the case with all? maybe I have an after market gearbox? the ...

Flavio Briatore claims the departure of Michelin from the top flight at the end of last year has hit Renault harder than most, after the reigning double world champions suffered a dismal season-opener in Australia at the weekend.

We recently carried a report about the upcoming Renault Scénic Conquest and the naming clash with Toyota's product. We asked readers for suggestions...

World champions Renault have admitted that, as yet, they have no specific explanation for the lack of pace that saw them come away from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix with just four points.

Flavio Briatore has blamed the switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres for Renault's slow start to the 2007 F1 season.

Reduced funding for the defending champions : It is believed that Renault is operating on a smaller budget for Formula One this year than in 2005 and 2006, when the French manufacturer secured back to back championships.

Renault boss unimpressed with Kovalainen : Flavio Briatore turned on an acid tongue in critique of the Australian Grand Prix.

Formula One's move to a single tyre supplier has hit champions Renault hardest, team boss Flavio Briatore said after Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

French automaker Renault is apparently close to committing to the assembly of its no-frills, emerging-market Logan car in South Africa.

MELBOURNE, March 19 (Reuters) - Formula One's move to a single tyre supplier has hit champions Renault hardest, team boss Flavio Briatore said after Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

THE new Clio has better interior space and better quality materials.

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has criticised backmarkers for failing to move over for faster cars in yesterday's race.

You can judge the excellence of Lewis Hamilton's performance by comparing him to fellow rookie, Renault's Heiki Kovalainen. At a track which is tricky for inexperienced drivers Heiki qualified poorly, drove inconsistently and underachieved.

Renault President vows to improve : Starting sixth, Giancarlo Fisichella and Renault had expected to make progress in the Australian Grand Prix.

Renault team boss labels Finn's ragged debut drive "rubbish" but retains faith in his ability.

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has declared Heikki Kovalainen's Formula One race debut as "rubbish."

Giancarlo Fisichella has admitted Renault have a lot to do if they are to come anywhere near to defending their world championship after a fifth and tenth place finish in Melbourne signalled a disappointing start to the season for the regie.

World champion squad admits its lack of race pace came as an unwelcome surprise.

MELBOURNE, March 18 (Reuters) - Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has criticised backmarkers for failing to move over for faster cars in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Giancarlo Fisichella: The race proved more difficult than we had expected. We knew that we were not on the pace of the leaders, but we had hoped to make up some ground - and now, I think we realise there is a lot of work to do.

Renault team chief Flavio Briatore says Heikki Kovalainen's debut drive for the team was "so bad, it was not him".

Heikki Kovalainen's Formula One debut with champions Renault was panned by team boss Flavio Briatore after the Finn had an Australian Grand Prix to forget.

Australian GP: Race notes - Renault

Renault, Williams and Toyota each had one driver finish in the top eight in Australia...

The ING Renault F1 Team endured a challenging 2007 ING Australian Grand Prix. A mixed performance in qualifying saw the team's drivers start 6th and 13th, with the hope of making up ground through stronger race pace.

Australia Sunday quotes: Renault

Renault boss Flavio Briatore has refused to give any allowance for Heikki Kovalainen's rookie status and slammed the Finn's error-strewn F1 debut in the Australian GP.

Australian GP - Red Bull Renault - Race : Red Bull Renault had hoped that Mark Webber's fine effort in qualifying yesterday would pay dividends in the opening race of the season today in Melbourne.

Australian GP - Renault - Race : Renault suffered a disappointing Australian Grand Prix.

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore was very critical of Heikki Kovalainen's performance in his maiden Grand Prix in Australia.

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) -- Finland's Kimi Raikkonen made a triumphant start to his Ferrari career with a pole-to-flag victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Marketing gurus try to influence helmet design : Mark Webber has reportedly clashed with his new team Red Bull Renault over the colour of his crash helmet.

Renault boss Flavio Briatore says he is far from worried about rookie Heikki Kovalainen's failure to impress in qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

CHENNAI: Promising driver Armaan Ebrahim formally signed a contract with Team TARA-DTM (Dynaten Motorsport) in Zuhai, China on Saturday for the Formula Renault V6 championship. The V6 Renault championship is the ideal step up to the World ...

Bob Bell, Renault's chassis technical director, was a little disappointed after the season's first qualifying session. Q: : Bob, how did qualifying go for the team?

ALL eyes will be on British rookie Lewis Hamilton when he lines up for his first Grand Prix in Australia tomorrow. The 22-year-old has been given a prized drive at McLaren and teams up with world champions Fernando Alonso, snatched away from Renault.

Giancarlo believes Renault's long-run pace will help him move up from sixth on the grid.

Fisichella aiming to challenge in race conditions : The feeling in the Albert Park paddock on Saturday afternoon was that Renault did not perform as well as was expected immediately prior to the qualifying hour.

Renault, Red Bull and Toyota will all have representives in the top-10 on the Aussie GP grid...

Alonso, who will make his McLaren debut after winning the Formula One championship for the past two years with Renault, had to make do with second place on the starting grid.

Australian GP - Toro Rosso Ferrari - Qualifying : The Toro Rosso Ferrari duo of Scott Speed and Tonio Liuzzi qualified 18th and 20th today in Melbourne, with the sister Red Bull Renault of David Coulthard in between.

Australian GP - Red Bull Renault - Qualifying : Mark Webber surprised even himself by qualifying his Red Bull Renault in a superb seventh position today in Melbourne - just behind the similarly-powered R27 of Giancarlo Fisichella.

Formula One rookie Heikki Kovalainen is hoping that Renault's alleged race pace performance can help him reclaim something from the Australian Grand Prix weekend, after qualifying below expectation in Melbourne.

Australian GP - Renault - Qualifying : Renault achieved mixed results in this opening qualifying session of the season.

Although he accepted that the third row of the grid was probably as good as it was going to get for Renault at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Giancarlo Fisichella reckoned that he could have been on the inside position had it not been for other cars on track.

In sunny conditions at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit, Giancarlo Fisichella finished sixth while team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finished 13th as he got his first taste of the high-pressure knockout qualifying format.

Australian GP: Qualifying notes - Renault

Australia Saturday quotes: Renault

March 17 (Reuters) - Starting grid for Sunday's Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. 1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 3. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 4. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 5. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 7. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull - Renault 8. Jarno Trulli ...

RACING driver Robert Gaffney is fully set for his new career in the Renault Clio Series after passing his driving test at the second attempt.

Team focused on a solid race performance : Renault's engineering chief Pat Symonds on Saturday afternoon played down the prospect of securing Pole Position in the qualifying hour at Albert Park.

March 17 (Reuters) - Times from Saturday's practice session from the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne. 1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1min 26.064secs 2. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 1:26.454 3. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1:26.467 4. Anthony Davidson (Britain) Super Aguri 1:26.491 5. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 1:26.547 6. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber ...

A fuel pressure problem made it a demoralising first day back at the office for champions Renault yesterday.

The media has highlighted cases of Renault customers who have reported that the bonnet of their Clio II has opened whilst the car was being driven.

PARIS, March 14, 2007 (AFP) - French automaker Renault on Wednesday reported a 4.6 percent slide in worldwide sales in February compared with the same month last year.

PARIS, March 14, 2007 (AFP) - French automaker Renault on Wednesday reported a 4.6 percent slide in worldwide sales in February compared with the same month last year.

CAMBRIDGE are looking to become upwardly mobile tomorrow (Saturday, 17 March) when they hope to move up to eighth place with victory at Wests Renault Park.

Mark Webber has had a disappointing start to the Melbourne Grand Prix, with the Red Bull-Renault driver spinning out of his practice lap on Friday to finish a disappointing 17th.

Renault engineering boss Pat Symonds says he is pleased with the performance of the R27, despite a gremlin that stopped both cars in afternoon practice.

''Four weeks gone, they're under the bridge'' : Red Bull Renault's Christian Horner and Mark Webber agree that the Austrian owned squad is as much as four weeks behind its rivals.

Are Renault and Kimi sandbagging? Renault are being tipped to offer a surprise challenge to pace-setters Ferrari this weekend.

PARIS (AFX) - Renault said it will name a new director of its vehicle technology centre near Paris, add 100 employees to handle an expected rise in its activity in 2007 and 2008 and institute a support program for workers at the site following three recent suicides there.

PARIS (AFX) - Renault said it will name a new director of its vehicle technology centre near Paris, add 100 employees to handle an expected rise in its activity in 2007 and 2008 and institute a support program for workers at the site following three recent suicides there.

The public prosecutor's office is investigating the deaths. Labour unions have blamed the suicides on stress. Renault is in the process of implementing a plan to revitalise its finances by sharply accelerating the introduction of new car models while reducing costs.

French carmaker Renault on Friday announced steps to improve working conditions at its Technocentre engineering site after several suicides by employees there laid bare a workload problem.

Renault UK has responded sharply to reports in the British media of the bonnets of Clio II hatchbacks opening while the cars were being driven. See what Renault SA has to say...

RACING driver Robert Gaffney is fully set for his new career in the Renault Clio Series after passing his driving test at the second attempt.

Renault has announced a new support plan for its Engineering and Technocentre teams that includes measures to reinforce team management and improve working conditions, implement better workload planning and set up the necessary resources, and optimised skills management.

Full Throttle Your weekly fix of motoring and motorsport news. The Tech Set A weekly dose of gadget and technology news. Buying a car? Tired of your old car? In the market for a new set of wheels?

Pre-race favourites Ferrari are set to face a stronger than expected challenge from Renault for victory in Australia this weekend, with the reigning world champions appearing to have put their early testing woes behind them.

What marks out Renault from DaimlerChrysler, Chanel from Carrefour, AIG from Merrill Lynch and IBM Japan from Vodafone? The comparisons may not be strictly fair.

Briatore remains bullish : Team boss Flavio Briatore on Friday said he was content with Renault's position despite both cars stopping on track at Albert Park with fuel pressure problems.

MELBOURNE, March 16 (Reuters) - A fuel pressure problem made it a demoralising first day back at the office for champions Renault on Friday.

Renault were left reasonably happy with their practice performance, despite fuel pressure problems.

Fisichella shows promising pace but both drivers thwarted by fuel pressure problems.

Full Throttle Your weekly fix of motoring and motorsport news. The Tech Set A weekly dose of gadget and technology news. Buying a car? Tired of your old car? In the market for a new set of wheels?

The Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen were quickest in opening practice here Friday for Sunday's season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Australian GP - Renault - Practice : Renault experienced a difficult opening day of the season during the first two practice sessions at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit.

WORLD champion team Renault experienced fuel pressure problems in a troublesome opening day's practice today ahead of Sunday's season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Australian GP - Red Bull Renault - Practice : David Coulthard has use of the spare Red Bull Renault and spent the Friday practice sessions running his race car and the spare.

The ING Renault F1 Team experienced a difficult opening day of the 2007 Formula 1 season during the first two practice sessions at Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit.

Renault are pumped up after Friday's practices in Australia, despite both drivers suffering fuel pressure problems.

Australian GP: Practice notes - Renault

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Champion team Renault will get their first inkling in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix whether they will still be competitive without two-time champion driver Fernando Alonso behind the wheel for the 2007 Formula One season.

Australia Friday quotes: Renault

The Renault team were encouraged with their performance in Friday practice for the Australian Grand Prix, despite a troubled day.

March 16 (Reuters) - Australian Formula One Grand Prix second free practice results from Albert Park, Merlbourne on Friday. 1. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 1:27.353 2. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:27.750 3. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1:27.829 4. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 1:27.941 5. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 1:27.970 6. Alexander Wurz (Austria) Williams - Toyota ...

As you read this our Formula One production team here at SPEED will be gearing up for the new season, beginning with Friday practice live from Melbourne.

World champion Fernando Alonso started the 2007 season the way he finished the last, setting the pace Friday in the first qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- World champion Fernando Alonso started the 2007 season the way he finished t...

World champion Fernando Alonso started the 2007 season like he finished the last after setting the pace Friday in the first qualifying session for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso has expressed concerns over the suggestion of adding night races to the Formula One calendar.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso made an excellent start to his tenure with McLaren as he set the fastest lap time in first practice at the Australian Grand Prix.

Australian GP - First practice : The first practice session of the new season this morning in Melbourne saw Fernando Alonso lead the way for McLaren Mercedes.

Renault team principal Flavio Briatore claims the sport has never been healthier.

The defending champion is chasing 50-year record

Davide Valsecchi set the pace on the second day of World Series by Renault testing at Barcelona on Thursday.

Kovalainen: I can't wait

FORMULA ONE: The season that starts Sunday brings a change of the Formula One zeitgeist. It used to be that every element of the car had to be developed and improved throughout a season for a team to be competitive. Not anymore.

Fernando Alonso, making his McLaren debut, will be the only champion on the Melbourne starting grid following the departure of Canadian Jacques Villeneuve and Germany's Michael Schumacher.