Formula 1 legend Alain Prost has said that Renault need more time for their 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 as saying by Speed Week.

"Yes, I would have expected a bit more performance. But not much more."

Prost said that Renault now face a challenge of rebuilding for the future while acknowledging that they are 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."

The championship continues this weekend with the Austrian Grand Prix.