Prost confident Renault improvement will help attract leading name

Renault ambassador and advisor, Alain Prost, has said that he hopes that the expected improvements that the team will make in 2018 will help  attract a leading driver into their team. The teams lineup for 2018 is already confirmed,with Nico Hulkenberg set to partner Carlos Sainz, but with the Spaniard only on loan to the team there is set to be at least one vacancy at the team for 2019.

There are set to be several high profile drivers free at the end of the 2018 season, with Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso all currently without a driver for the 2019 season, and if Renault can prove they have a car capable of winning races and championships that year, it's highly likely it could find itself in a position to attract one of F1's leading driver names.

Four time world champion Alain Prost said this on the state of the driver market next year and beyond, with the unknown status of Carlos Sainz: "The driver market is important and we are in position for the end of 2018 when it is a little bit open for discussion,

"At the end of 2018 there are a lot of drivers without contracts. We want to be better as a team, next year we will prove we are better than we are now and we want to be in the key market. We have Carlos next year but he is remaining in the Red Bull family. But if he performs well and wants to stay we will find a solution."

Sam Gale