This, boys and girls, is the new RenaultSport Megane. Okay, it’s covered in camouflage. But it’s our best look yet at the latest generation of the hardest-cored, most driver focused hot hatch of them all.

Whether the new Megane will pick up where the old Megane 275 Cup S and 275 Trophy R left off remains to be seen, though; the current RS Clio is a far more practical and civilised car than the one it replaced.

Renault has confirmed the new RS Megane will get both manual and paddleshift gearboxes, though, and there are rumours there’ll be comfort- and handling-biased versions to choose from. Renault has form in offering standard and rawer Cup versions of its hatches.

Most importantly, purists can rest assured they can still have three pedals and do gearchanges themselves. For everyone else, here’s hoping Renault has got its twin-clutch transmission closer to rivals (well, Volkswagen’s DSG) than before.

Beyond that, Renault’s telling us nothing. We suspect the Megane will stay front-wheel drive (making it lighter and less complex than the AWD Ford Focus RS) but there’s a chance it will get four-wheel steering, like the current Megane GT. Power wise, expect around 300bhp from a four-cylinder turbo engine.

The camouflaged RS Megane has made its debut in the lead up to the Monaco Grand Prix, being driven around the circuit – like Alpine, Clio and Twingo concepts before it – in the lull between practice and qualifying. Renault F1 driver Nico Hülkenberg was driving.

“I got an opportunity to test the new Megane RS during its development and I was hooked first time out by the excellence of its chassis,” he said, with perhaps a whiff of bias. “RenaultSport has done a tremendous job on its performance credentials. It was a huge pleasure to drive it around the legendary street track at Monaco today.”

While it’s hardly an ideal look at the car’s styling, we can surmise it’s notably more squat and serious than a regular Renault Megane hatch, and its rear arches look particularly swollen. The snazzy lights from the Clio RS16 have also made an appearance.

We’ll see it in full in early September, while sales begin in spring 2018. Like what you’re seeing and hearing so far? Reckon this can upset the Focus RS and Golf R?