F1 legend Alain Prost says Renault needs more time for its works team to start shining.
After the eleventh hour buyout of Lotus, the newly branded Renault works team has struggled for performance in 2016 to the extent that it is often fighting with Manor and Sauber for the last places on the grid.
Brand ambassador Prost, a quadruple world champion, said: "It’s not easy for me to talk about as I am a little bit outside of the racing team.
"But what is definitely true is that Renault’s decision to buy the team came very late," he is quoted by Speed Week.
"Yes, I would have expected a bit more performance. But not much more," the great Frenchman added.
Prost said Renault now faces a challenge of rebuilding for the future whilst acknowledging that it is in the middle of a busy race calendar.
"The basic problem is to analyse why things are not going so well and keep the staff motivated at the same time," he said.
"All the people need to understand that this is a long-term project — the fans as well," Prost said.