The F1 car that Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg hope will catch the ‘big three’ is unveiled at Renault’s factory

Renault has unveiled its RS19 for the 2019 Formula 1 season at the team’s factory in Enstone.

From a mere eight points in 2016, Renault earned 57 in 2017 and sixth place in the standings. Last season, Renault improved again to 122 points and fourth in the constructors’ standings.

The team is widely identified as most likely to bridge the gap to F1’s ‘big three’ squads of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, yet the deficit is sizeable as even with Renault’s improvement it scored some 297 points fewer than third-placed Red Bull last season.

Furthermore, Renault, as our grand prix editor Mark Hughes has explained, is not spending on the level of the trio ahead and hopes instead that F1’s governing body and Liberty will bring in budget limitations.

More: How Renault is engaging in F1’s arms race

Yet for this season Renault has F1’s most sensational driver signing for many a year, tempting multiple grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull to partner the highly-rated Nico Hülkenberg. Hülkenberg’s partner from last year, Carlos Sainz, has moved to McLaren.