Renault rookie Jolyon Palmer has praised the appointment of Frederic Vasseur as racing director at the team, suggesting that the Frenchman will play a key role in his development as a driver.
Vasseur has joined a Renault outfit who are set to endure a challenging 2016. After an eleventh-hour takeover of Lotus at the end of last year, the RS16 package is underdeveloped at present.
The year of transition at Enstone also stretches to the driver line-up, as Kevin Magnussen – drafted in as a late replacement for Pastor Maldonado – joins Jolyon Palmer. The Englishman, who won the GP2 title in 2014, is about to embark on his maiden campaign in F1.
With Magnussen bringing just one year of experience as an F1 driver to the table, Renault have one of the most inexperienced pairings behind the wheel.
Palmer has acknowledged the importance of having Vasseur at the helm, given his expertise in developing young talent. After a decade at the helm of ART, Vasseur has guided the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas to title glory in junior formula.
“Both of us have known Fred for a while now, from GP2 for me and Kevin has known him for a while as well, so I think it is helpful and Fred knows and understands young drivers,” Palmer stated in an interview with Sky Sports.
“He understands running a successful team, he is a racer as well at heart so I feel he is someone who understands us as drivers and hopefully bring the best out of us.”
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