Mar.23 (GMM) New team boss Frederic Vasseur says he is happy with Renault’s drivers after the first race weekend of 2016.
As the French carmaker returns to full works status this year, it inherited Jolyon Palmer’s race contract from predecessor Lotus.
New boss Vasseur, fresh from his own junior team ART, then failed to secure from McLaren the services of his reigning GP2 champion Stoffel Vandoorne, opting instead for the McLaren refugee Kevin Magnussen.
But Frenchman Vasseur says he is happy with the pair.
“I am equal to both drivers,” he told L’Equipe. “We chose them. They won in the junior championships.
“In Australia, both of them were successful. I’m happy with the way Jolyon had his debut grand prix, and the same can be said about the job from Kevin in the second stint of the race after the puncture.
“If after the tests you had told me Renault would go at the same pace as McLaren and Force India, I would have voted for it with both hands,” Vasseur smiled.
As for whether he is enjoying his new F1 adventure, Vasseur answered: “Compared to before? I do not see any difference. Wherever you are, you always want to win.”
But when asked if F1 is more tiring than his other ventures, he added: “In the past year, working DTM, GP2 and Formula E, I had 26 race weekends. This year, it is only 21!”