LONDON -- Renault has targeted their home French Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday for a first podium finish of the season.

"We will certainly be looking for points and it would be great to improve on that at our home race," said technical director Mike Gascoyne ahead of the 11th round of the season.

"That must be our aim. There would be no better place in the whole year to score a podium finish.

"There will be large numbers of senior personnel from Renault at the race and it would be great for the commitment they have shown to the F1 programme to be rewarded with a podium finish," he added.

Renault have scored 14 points so far this season, their first back under their own name since buying the Benetton team, with Briton Jenson Button and Italian Jarno Trulli both securing fourth places.

The team are fourth in the standings but failed to score points at the last British Grand Prix at Silverstone in a race dictated by tires and affected by intermittent showers.

"It was disappointing that the tire performance did not allow us to be competitive," said Gascoyne, whose team's Michelin tires were no match for Bridgestone.

"All the Michelin runners know that their tires are not as competitive as they should be in the wet and we were dreading those kind of conditions."