Renault Sport Racing launches Renault Sport Academy

Renault Sport Racing will continue Renault’s rich heritage of developing young driver talent with the formation of the Renault Sport Academy, which is tasked with finding future Renault Sport champions.

The Renault Sport Academy will utilise Renault Sport Racing’s various platforms and global motorsport structures in its quest to nurture new talent, involving the local Renault markets in seeking new drivers from their regions.

Four drivers are announced at the Academy’s foundation; reigning Formula Renault 3.5 series champion Oliver Rowland and from the ranks of the 2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps winner Jack Aitken, Formula Renault 2.0 NEC winner Louis Delétraz and second-placed Kevin Joerg.

The drivers will be supported by Renault Sport Racing in their 2016 racing campaigns with Rowland contesting GP2, Delétraz racing in the newly named Formula V8 3.5 Series and Aitken and Joerg racing in GP3. Each driver will have tailored targets to meet for their motorsport progression.

The Renault Sport Academy is designed to nurture a driver within the Renault Sport Racing environment. An immersion programme in Paris will educate the Academy members in Renault Sport Racing’s core values and heritage. A thorough fitness schedule will include evaluations at Renault Sport Formula One Team’s base at Enstone throughout the year in addition to pre-season and mid-season fitness camps. There will also be an internship at Enstone to understand how the Renault Sport Formula One Team operates. The programme will be managed operationally by Mia Sharizman Ismail who has extensive motorsport experience including Formula 1, GP2, GP3 and numerous other categories.

Renault has an impressive record of finding the F1 stars of the future, with the likes of Robert Kubica, Lucas di Grassi, Pastor Maldonado, Heikki Kovalainen, Jérôme d'Ambrosio and Romain Grosjean being nurtured through previous Renault driver development programmes.

Frederic Vasseur, Racing Director, Renault Sport Racing, said, “The Renault Sport Academy underlines the commitment of Renault Sport Racing to nurture young talent to develop the Formula 1 stars of the future. The motivation is not just altruistic; we want these drivers to become future Formula One World Champions and we are putting every tool at their disposal to achieve this aim.”

Guillaume Boisseau, Brands Director, Groupe Renault, said, “Renault has a terrific heritage in motorsport and this is something we are committed to continuing in the future. The Renault Sport Academy enables us to not only develop new talent but also ally this to the actual involvement of our local markets by making the process directly relevant in each country where Renault Sport is present and also giving us a larger catchment area to identify the drivers who will fly our flag at the highest echelons of motorsport in the future.”