Renault remains optimistic the 2019 F💃ormula 1 regulation tweaks could provide it an opportunity to shake-up the pecking order despit♓e the sizeable gap it needs to bridge this winter.

While comfortably finishing fourth and at the top of the F1 midfield last season, the team suffered with a significant performance gap between its 2018 package compa♍red to the top three teams Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

Reꦛnault F1 team executive director Marcin Budkowski estimates his team needs to make up “over a second and a half” and feels if the French manufacturer is to climb up the F1 order it must maximise its own performance while hoping others💟 falter.

“Realistically i꧒f you look at the situation last year and the gaps, recovering over a second and a half of performance over one winter is nearly impossible,” Budkowski said. “Now we have a regulation change so that could have influenced the pecking order.

“There’s some changes on the front as well that coulꦕd jeopardise other people’s performance or reliability. They are ﷽external factors but we are not in control of these.

“From our point of view it’s really to get the best possible out and do the best possible job with the regulations, do our♉ homework and reach our targets.

“Overall the pecking order is a🔴 question of relative performance. If we reach our targets of performance we should be progressing compared to last year and then if the others don’t do as good a job then it’s going to be good for us.”

Budkowski also sees an opportunity on the engine side with Red Bull opting to ditch Renault power for a new partnership with Honda. While Renault remains confident of its own gains the team chief hopes developments in correlation to its rivals can produce a pe💜cking order jump.

“Definitely any kind of shake-up is aꦯn opportunity,” he said.🃏 “It’s a threat as well.

“We are making progress on our engine development. I’m sure Honda, Mercedes and Ferrari ജare all making progress as well. In relative terms, we’ll see wh꧒ere they end up.”

Budkowski joined Renault from the FIA just over 12 months ago in a controversial appointment with the tech chief previously responsible for workiဣng with all teams to ensure the 🌳compliance of their cars, effectively giving him intimate technical details of all F1 teams.