Renault R.S.16

The chassis was designed by Nick Chester, Chris Cooney, Martin Tolliday and Nicolas Hennel with Bob Bell overseeing the design and production of the car as chief technical officer and Rémi Taffin leading the powertrain design. The car was built in Enstone in Oxfordshire with the engine supplied from Viry-Châtillon in France.{{cite web|url=https://www.f1technical.net/f1db/cars/1037/renault-sport-rs16|title=Renault Sport R.S.16|publisher=F1 Technical|access-date=15 July 2022}}

File:Renault RS16 Barcelona testing.jpg

Nick Chester admitted that preparations for 2016 were limited by financial difficulty within the Lotus team. They also had a contract to use Mercedes engines for the new season, which meant a significant amount of the car that had been designed needed to be modified to fit the Renault power unit. Ahead of the first round of the season, the team admitted that the R.S. 16 was a developmental and foundational year, using aero similar to the 2015 car and the engine a lightly modified version of the same years model. Many of the early modifications seen in testing were made due to FIA mandated requirements, such as the higher cockpit sides.

The team tested the car in a black livery during testing.{{cite web|url=https://www.pitpass.com/55511/Renault-RS16-hits-the-track|title=Renault RS16 hits the track|date=22 February 2016 |publisher=pitpass.com|access-date=15 July 2022}} At the Barcelona test, the team completed 343 laps or 992 miles. Days one and two were limited with just 79 laps across the two days, however Magnussen managed 260 laps alone in the new car.{{cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/10181719/2016-f1-testing-how-the-teams-graded-in-the-first-barcelona-test|title=2016 F1 testing: How the teams rated in the first Barcelona test

|publisher=Sky Sports F1|access-date=15 July 2022}} By the second test, the team completed a total of 776 laps, with Palmer suffering mechanical errors during his test days.{{cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/renault-surprised-by-performance-of-rs16-car-in-f1-testing-4993229/4993229/|title=Renault surprised by performance of RS16 car in F1 testing|date=7 March 2016 |publisher=Autosport|access-date=15 July 2022}}

Upon the start of the season, the FIA confirmed Renault had only used 7 of the available 32 tokens for engine development, leaving scope to progress.{{cite web|url=https://www.f1technical.net/news/20282|title=Renault leave most engine tokens unused

|date=19 March 2016

|publisher=F1 Technical|access-date=15 July 2022}} An upgrade did materialise for the engines at Monaco, where Magnussen took the B-spec unit, and another went to Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing with the unit branded TAG.{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2016/5/f1-ricciardo-magnussen-upgraded-engines-monaco.html|title=Ricciardo, Magnussen get upgraded engines for Monaco|publisher=Formula One|access-date=15 July 2022}}

By July, the team abandoned development of the R.S. 16 instead turning focus to the 2017 car.{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/renault-halts-2016-f1-car-development-800573/800573/|title=Renault halts 2016 F1 car development|date=21 July 2016 |publisher=Motorsport|access-date=15 July 2022}}

File:2016 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix (26064493593).jpg]]

The R.S. 16 was officially launched in Paris, in February 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12040/10154227/renault-launch-new-2016-car-and-confirm-kevin-magnussen-alongside-jolyon-palrmer|title=Renault launch 2016 car with Kevin Magnussen alongside Jolyon Palmer

|publisher=Sky Sports|access-date=15 July 2022}}

The R.S. 16 was a poor performer across the season for the team. Retirements were a regular occurrence during the season. In Bahrain, Palmer was unable to start the Grand Prix as his car failed during the formation lap.{{cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/palmer-upbeat-about-renault-f1-progress-despite-missing-bahrain-gp-4991675/4991675/|title=Palmer upbeat about Renault F1 progress, despite missing Bahrain GP

|date=4 April 2016

|publisher=Autosport|access-date=15 July 2022}} In Monaco, both cars would retire from the race, Palmer crashed as soon as the safety car allowed the race to begin, while Magnussen was involved in an incident at Rascasse when Daniil Kvyat attempted to unlap himself.{{cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/f1/news/230880/1/palmer-a-passenger-in-early-monaco-exit|title=F1 Monaco GP: Palmer a passenger in early exit|date=29 May 2016 |publisher=crash.net|access-date=15 July 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/renault-f1s-vasseur-slates-kvyat-after-magnussen-monaco-gp-clash-5324720/5324720/|title=Renault F1's Vasseur slates Kvyat after Magnussen Monaco GP clash|date=30 May 2016 |publisher=Autosport|access-date=15 July 2022}} Magnussen would retire at three more Grand Prix - Belgium, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, his team mate Palmer chalked up another four retirements before the end of the season in Canada, Britain, Singapore and Brazil. This meant that across the 21 races, at 9 rounds at least one R.S. 16 did not make the finish.

File:F1 - Renault - Esteban Ocon (27965388854).jpg driving the R.S.16 during the FP1 of the {{F1 GP|2016|British}}]]

The team scored points at three races, a seventh place finish in Russia for Magnussen being the cars best finish. He would score a further point in Singapore, and Palmer a point at Malaysia - his first in F1.{{cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/renault-r.s.16.aspx|title=Renault R.S.16

|publisher=Stats F1|access-date=15 July 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/palmer-ecstatic-to-score-first-f1-point-in-malaysia-834645/834645/|title=Palmer "ecstatic" to score first F1 point in Malaysia|date=3 October 2016 |publisher=Motorsport|access-date=15 July 2022}}

Scoring just 8 points during the season, it represented the team's worst performance since 2014, and for Renault as a constructor since 1978.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/table/_/season/2016/group/constructors|title=Formula One Standings 2016

|publisher=ESPN|access-date=15 July 2022}}

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

† – Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.

File:Renault Clio RS 16 mondial auto 2016 (1).jpg

During the season, Renault's developed a Clio R.S. 16 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Renault Sport and their return to Formula One. The concept car was painted in the same colours as the R.S.16 Formula One car, and the promotional launch of the car featured Kevin Magnussen driving it at Monaco.{{cite web|url=https://www.press.renault.co.uk/en-gb/models/concepts-clio-r-s-16|title=CLIO R.S.16: A NEW CONCEPT CAR TO SHOWCASE RENAULT SPORT'S EXPERTISE

|publisher=Renault|access-date=15 July 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/renault/clio/96308/renault-clio-renaultsport-rs-16-2016-review|title=Renault Clio RenaultSport R.S. 16 2016 review

|publisher=Auto Express|access-date=15 July 2022}} The car also featured at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed.{{cite web|url=https://www.goodwood.com/grr/road/news/2016/5/renault-marks-40-years-of-renaultsport-with-special-clio-rs/|title=Renault Marks 40 Years Of Renault Sport With Special Clio RS|publisher=Goodwood|access-date=15 July 2022|archive-date=15 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715092327/https://www.goodwood.com/grr/road/news/2016/5/renault-marks-40-years-of-renaultsport-with-special-clio-rs/|url-status=dead}}

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{{F1 cars 2016}}

{{Renault F1}}

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R.S.16