Renault target more podium finishes

Renault have their sights firmly fixed on beating Mercedes in this seasons Formula One Constructors World championship.

Renault are currently fourth in the standings, behind Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.

The gap between Ferrari and Renault is 41 points, so breaking into the top three is unlikely, but with only 8 points separating Renault and Mercedes the battle for fourth is heating up.

'We need another podium or two in this time to cement our position amongst the grid's elite teams, and to remain competitive ahead of Mercedes GP, whose season has clearly improved,' Renault boss Eric Boullier told Autosport Magazine.

Renault started the season well with a third placed finish for Vitaly Petrov in Australia, followed by another third placed finish for Nick Heidfeld in Malaysia.

But following the opening two races, the best finish they had achieved prior to the Canadian Grand Prix was a seventh placed finish in Turkey.

'Retaining our position in the top four in the constructors' championship is an absolute priority for us, and we must continue to lay down the marker over the next four races.'

The Renault team have also confirmed that they will continue to run their black and gold livery made famous by Lotus's affiliation with John Player Special in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar also told Autosport: 'I think we need consistency, We like the livery, and the black and gold is used in many road car limited editions.

'On our side it is a nice livery that is perceived well by the people, especially on the road car side, so I see no reason to change it.'