Renault

You've got one of the best drivers in Formula 1 to lead the team, you've revitalised your hopes of re-emerging as a title-winning force after some disappointing seasons and you've launched an innovative car with remarkable exhausts that exit at the front of the sidepods. Then providence rips the heart out of your team. Following the loss of Robert Kubica, hopefully not indefinitely, Renault must continue its upward curve of 2010, when it went from eighth to fifth in the constructors' championship and matched the development rate of the top teams. Under technical director James Allison, the team has found new impetus and this year is all about not losing momentum.