The chassis was designed by Nick Chester, Chris Cooney, Martin Tolliday, Pierre Genon, and Nicolas Hennel, with Bob Bell overseeing the design and production as chief technical officer. Rémi Taffin led the powertrain design. The car was built in Enstone, Oxfordshire, with the engine supplied from Viry-Châtillon, France. The Renault R.S.16 was the first Enstone-based car to utilize Total fuels and lubricants since the Lotus E22 in 2014.
Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer were the race team drivers, with Esteban Ocon serving as the reserve driver. Pastor Maldonado, originally confirmed as a regular driver, lost his seat shortly before the start of the season due to his sponsor PDVSA experiencing financial difficulties caused by falling oil prices.
Nick Chester acknowledged that preparations for 2016 were constrained by financial difficulties within the Lotus team. The team also had a contract to use Mercedes engines for the new season, which required significant modifications to the car's design to accommodate the Renault power unit. Ahead of the season's first round, the team indicated that the R.S.16 represented a developmental and foundational year, employing aerodynamic concepts similar to the 2015 car and a lightly modified version of that year's engine. Many early modifications observed during testing were implemented to meet FIA mandated requirements, such as higher cockpit sides.
During testing, the team ran the car in a black livery. At the Barcelona test, the team completed 343 laps, covering 992 miles. The first two days were limited, with only 79 laps across both. However, Kevin Magnussen completed 260 laps in the new car alone. By the second test, the team had completed a total of 776 laps, with Jolyon Palmer experiencing mechanical issues during his test days.
Upon the season's commencement, the FIA confirmed that Renault had utilized only 7 of the available 32 tokens for engine development. An engine upgrade was introduced at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Magnussen received the B-spec unit.
The R.S.16 was officially launched in Paris in February 2016. Throughout the season, the car proved to be a poor performer for the team, with retirements occurring regularly. In Bahrain, Palmer was unable to start the Grand Prix due to a car failure during the formation lap. At the Monaco Grand Prix, both cars retired from the race; Palmer crashed immediately after the safety car period ended, while Magnussen was involved in an incident at Rascasse.
Magnussen retired from three more Grand Prix events: Belgium, Malaysia, and Abu Dhabi. His teammate Palmer recorded another four retirements before the season concluded in Canada, Britain, Singapore, and Brazil. The team scored points in three races, with Magnussen's seventh-place finish in Russia being the car's best result. He also scored an additional point in Singapore, and Palmer secured a point in Malaysia, his first in Formula One.
The R.S.16 was painted black with small yellow accents for its presentation and pre-season testing. In addition to prominent Renault sponsor stickers, the car featured white logos for Infiniti, Microsoft Dynamics, Jack & Jones, Total, and EMC Corporation. Genii Capital, the team's former owner and current shareholder, also displayed its logo on the upper strut of the front suspension and the engine cover.
During the season, Renault developed a Clio R.S. 16 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Renault Sport and their return to Formula One. The concept car was painted in the same colors as the R.S.16 Formula One car. The promotional launch of the Clio R.S. 16 featured Kevin Magnussen driving it at Monaco. The car was also showcased at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
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