After 155 laps of the Barcelona circuit, and a best time 1.691s off Valtteri Bottas' pace, Jolyon Palmer has lauded Renault for the improvement to its chassis this season.

New regulations and engine aside, the Briton claims there is a world of difference in the ride quality of this year's car compared to last year's, which was itself a barely updated version of the 2015 contender.

"Ride quality is where we were weak last year," he told reporters. "We've made a big step this year, we've got much better tools to deal with that now.

"It's something we learnt from last year, and we learnt the hard way," admitted the Briton. "Clearly, we've made good progress, and even just the balance of the car is very consistent, it's very driveable. Every time I get in it, I know what to expect. It's a good feeling at the moment."

Indeed, much of last year's problem, which saw the French team finish a distant ninth in the standings, was the lateness in finalising the deal which saw Renault purchase the ailing Lotus team. The dire situation the French outfit found itself in was further compounded by the fact that lack of finance had meant the Enstone facility had been allowed to run down along with its equipment, not to mention the fact that the workforce had been significantly trimmed.

Slowly, Renault is turning things around.

"Last year, we knew it was going to be tough," said the Briton. "This year, we're excited about the prospect of having a car we've designed properly around the engine. We've had a good amount of time as well, because last year we were so compromised.

"There's been some restructure over the winter," he added, a restructure which included the departure of Frederick Vasseur, "I think everyone in the team really knows their role, we're very happy with how everyone's performing. The structure's working well at the moment and we're excited."