Editing Renault in Formula One (section)

==== Decline in fortunes without Alonso (2007) ====
[[File:Giancarlo Fisichella 2007 (crop).jpg|thumb|256x256px|[[Giancarlo Fisichella]] driving for Renault at the [[2007 Malaysian Grand Prix]].]]
Renault confirmed [[Giancarlo Fisichella]] and [[Heikki Kovalainen]] as their race drivers for 2007 with [[Nelson Piquet Jr.]] and [[Ricardo Zonta]] as test drivers. The car for 2007, the [[Renault R27|R27]], was unveiled on 24 January 2007 in Amsterdam and bore a new yellow, blue, orange and white livery in deference to the corporate colours of ING, the Dutch financial group based in Amsterdam. Renault engines were also supplied to the [[Red Bull Racing]] team for the 2007 season.

Renault struggled in comparison to their form in previous seasons in [[2007 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]], with [[Giancarlo Fisichella]] finishing the race in 5th place. Rookie [[Heikki Kovalainen]] struggled even more than the Italian, spinning his car as he chased [[Toyota Racing (Formula One team)|Toyota's]] [[Ralf Schumacher]] and ending up in 10th place. Results did not improve until the start of the European season, although both drivers finished in the points in the next race at [[2007 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysia]]. Heikki Kovalainen struggled in [[2007 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain]] too, although the gap between himself and Fisichella at the end of the race was not as great as was seen at Melbourne, with Fisichella finishing only 8th. The team's pace began to pick up in Barcelona, with both drivers making it into Q3, setting competitive lap times in the race (4th fastest lap for Kovalainen) and looking set for 5th and 8th, only to be hampered by an identical problem on both fuel rigs, forcing both drivers to make extra pitstops which dropped them back to 7th and 9th.

On 8 November 2007, the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] accused Renault F1 of having [[McLaren]] F1 technical information in their possession.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160105090505/http://uk.reuters.com/article/motor-racing-renault-idUKL0819133920071108?feedType=RSS&feedName=motorSportsNews Renault Charged With Having McLaren Data]. Retrieved 8 November 2007.</ref> According to the charge, the information in hand "''included the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren car as well as details of McLaren's fuelling system, gear assembly, hydraulic control system and suspension''". The hearing on this matter took place in [[Monaco]] on 6 December 2007. The charge faced by Renault F1 – breaching of article 151c of the Sporting Regulations – was the same as that faced by McLaren earlier on in 2007 in the [[2007 Formula One espionage controversy|espionage controversy involving Ferrari & McLaren]]. The FIA found Renault F1 in breach of article 151c but did not penalise the team.