(© Ben Johnston 2015)
Renault Sport F1 Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul says that
the French manufacturer are open minded when it comes to their future
involvement in the Formula One.
Renault endured a difficult transition period when Formula
One switched from the 2.4 litre V8 engines to the 1.6 litre turbo charged power
trains ahead of last season. In recent years the company has been through
somewhat of a restructuring programme within its Formula One operation.
They sold their Formula One Team to Gerard Lopez’s GENII
Capital group in 2009 and were renamed Lotus Renault GP ahead of the 2011 Formula
One season. It 2012 the team became what it is now known as the Lotus F1 Team.
Prior to selling the team Renault had won back to back
Drivers and Constructors championships in 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso.
In 2007, Renault became an engine supplier to Red Bull
Racing and in 2011 the company increased its involvement with the Milton Keynes
based outfit becoming a premium partner. The partnership has been an extremely
successful one as they won four consecutive Drivers and Constructors
championships from 2010 – 2013.
Despite stating that they are extremely happy with their
partnership with Infiniti Red Bull Racing and are happy to continue the
relationship indefinitely, Abiteboul has not ruled out the company one day
returning to a works outfit like Mercedes and Ferrari as he says that Renault
are in Formula One to market themselves and if it makes commercial sense to
change something than they will do that.
© Ben Johnston 2015
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