Renault chief race engineer Alan Permane says he is confident the team will be more competitive in Singapore than it has been on similar circuits this year.
The R31 did not perform well around the streets of Monaco, and was also off the pace at the Hungaroring three races ago. Recent strong performances in Belgium and Italy, however, have raised expectations at Renault, and while Permane admits the Marina Bay circuit will not play to its strengths, he feels the way the car has progressed in recent races will mean the team is still able to challenge for a double points finish.
"It's true to say that we struggled a lot in Monaco, we weren't fantastic in Hungary, (but) the updates we've brought since then the car worked very well in Spa and well in Monza," Permane said. "Whilst I wouldn't say I'm as confident as I was in Spa, I'm far more confident because the data shows the car is working, is much better than it has been. Our aim is of course to do as well as we can but we will really try to get both cars in to the top ten here and I think that's achievable."
Renault has brought further updates to Singapore too, although Permane admitted that a promising new front wing had not been ready in time for this weekend.
"We've got an update that just gives us pure downforce across both cars, so that will work here, it'll work everywhere we go for the rest of the season. It'll just give us a couple of tenths, which is good. The other thing that we've got in the pipeline but didn't quite make it here is a new front wing - we'll have that for Suzuka - which will not only give us more downforce it will allow us to use more forward aero balance so we feel that's going to be advantageous. It's a shame it didn't make it here but it should be a good step for Suzuka."
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