SN: What effect will the decision have on the Renault Sport F1 personnel, particularly as the end of the 1997 season approaches?
MG: They are top professionals in their field who have a competitive spirit, but they know a company's commitment to Formula One cannot go on forever. They will fight so that Renault Sport can remain unbeaten. No other manufacturer has ever done that. With every new victory the name of Renault will be more deeply engraved in the history of Formula One.
SN: How did Renault's partners Frank Williams and Flavio Briatore react when it announced the withdrawal?
MG: Renault has been partners with Frank Williams for eight years now and with Flavio Briatore for two years. They, again, are professional people and we have shared most of our most successful moments with them. They will know how to adapt to this new situation. They have won titles in the past with other engine specialists.
SN: Won't the need to find another engine supplier demotivate your partners and their drivers?
MG: Flavio Briatore was trying to reach an agreement with Renault during the 1994 season. That did not stop Michael Schumacher from winning the Drivers' World Championship title in a Benetton-Ford...
Renault is confident that, despite our decision, our partners Williams and Benetton will still be determined to win the World Championship titles with us next year. As for the drivers, we will meet the commitments we have with them up to the end of 1997 but, as ever, their selection and contracts are with their respective team owners rather than Renault. They all evidently have the will and determination to win.
SN: When is Renault going to announce what discipline will replace F1?
MG: No discipline will replace Formula One as such, but Renault is pursuing in other fields a sporting strategy which will be maintained and developed beyond 1997.
SN: Is Renault going to do as it did in 1986 and keep a development unit of standby at Renault Sport's Viry Chatillon headquarters after 1997?
MG: A unit monitoring technological development will be kept on at Viry Chatillon so as not to lose contact with top-level competition.
SN: What will happen to Renault Sport and the personnel at Viry Chatillon after 1997?
Renault Sport will continue to operate independently, but in a fashion more relevant towards Renault's customers. It will be responsible for the company's sporting policy and, in addition, will be charged with the development of high-performance engines - 'half V10s', engines designed for sporting activities (rallies, promotions, touring cars etc), as well as the development of prototype units for the Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Department.
SN: How will the decision to pull out of Formula One affect Renault involvement in other areas of motorsport, particularly in the UK where it is very active?
MG: The decision is exclusively about Renault in Formula One and does not affect its participation in any other areas of motorsport. In the UK, Renault's partnership with Williams for the British Touring Car Championship is independent of the F1 withdrawal and our rally involvement will come to fruitition in 1997, when 'kit cars' will be allowed in the British Championship for the first time as we hoped. Our Formula Three team is another long-term project, which will not be hindered by the F1 decision. The same goes for the new Renault Sport Spider and Formula Renault Sport championships. All these things are funded by Renault UK with the primary aim of expanding our brand image in this country.
SN: Michel Gigou, thank you for your time.
Why No Dimples?
Originally, golf balls were smooth - until somebody discovered that old, scratched ones travelled further. This is because a ball with a rough surface apparantly creates less 'drag' - the force that slows it down in the air. As a result, smooth golf balls gained the tiny dimples we see today. This begs the obvious question: why isn't a Williams Renault Formula One car covered in Dimples?
Patrick Head of Williams Grand Prix Engineering explains:
"The dimples on a golf ball alter the nature of the airflow very close to the surface of the ball, actually causing the airflow to follow the shape of the ball further round onto the back side. This reduces the size of the drag, creating 'wake' behind the ball, permitting the velocity to reduce less rapidly and the ball to travel further."
"On a race car, the length of the surfaces prior to the reduction of area towards the rear of the car causes the airflow close to the surfaces to be 'turbulent' - so no advantage would be gained by adding dimples. There may, however, be some individual parts, such as mirror housings and brake ducts, which could benefit from a dimpled surface."