Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

So we near the end of the 2018 F1 season. Many of the driver rumours have been either squashed or played out as predicted. So now starts the silly season for the support and technical crews. Many rumours abound regarding the movement of key men within the teams. The more interesting rumours centre around the Renault F1 team. So what do we already know? Daniel Ricciardo is making his way to the team in 2019. This was confirmed just after the summer break and was met with both confusion and support within the sport. Why would he go to a lesser team, who has a history of engine failures, lack of performance and reliability? Many other questions have been asked. Does Daniel have some insight that we the sporting public, and the fraternity in general are not privy too? We also know that Renault believe they will be a title contender in 2021, maybe winning some races in 2020, according to Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. But what has been happening behind the scenes?

For Renault to be competitive they need to address the basic issues any team faces - deliver a fast, aerodynamically superior, reliable car that can consistently win races across the variety of tracks on the calendar. All teams make a compromise to deliver the best package they can within budget, and with the skill sets on hand. Part of this budget is the ability to attract and retain key engineering staff. This has of recent times thrown a few rumours into the limelight. Without a doubt, the best aerodynamic engineer in F1 is Adrian Newey, currently with Red Bull. Upon the announcement of Ricciardo's departure, Newey was rumoured to also join Renault. This made sense and provided some comfort to those Ricciardo fans trying to comprehend his move. This would seem be the only way that Renault could produce a competitive car. Alas though, it panned out to be just another rumour.

This week though has seen a very strong rumour emerge around James Allison who currently works for the Mercedes Team as their Technical Director. Apparently, there is a strong chance that Renault have persuaded him to consider leaving Mercedes and join their team. He is a very accomplished F1 professional, who has been key to the development of the Mercedes powerhouse we know it today. This would also support the move by Ricciardo if true. Their 2-3 year development phase needs to right people to generate momentum, but also deliver results. Allison has proven he can do this and would be just as welcome as Newey. The knowledge that he would bring from his time at Mercedes and Ferrari would be invaluable, and worth the price!

With only a handful of races left, we may not find out if this is true before the end of the driving calendar. But Renault might be poised for a very nice Christmas present post race season.