Cyril Abiteboul Compares Renault F1 to Ford Before its Alpine Transformation

Renault Racing has been moving in the right direction if the goal is to assert their dominance in the Formula 1 field. Ever since Luca de Meo took over as the CEO of Renault, he has driven the team in a positive direction. The team maintains a mission and a target which they wish to reach in the upcoming years.

Renault F1 Team Principal, Cyril Abiteboul, is quite amazed by the CEO’s aims and objectives. De Meo’s inclusion has been unquestionably beneficial for Renault. Driven towards a proper goal, Cyril has been vocal about Luca’s plan and is never shy of praising him.

“It’s huge. It’s huge”, said Cyril. “And frankly, even if he is not going to interfere on a day-to-day basis, it’s a game-changer for me to know that I have someone in the back expecting that the team delivers, which is absolutely fundamental, but who is also here to help at any point in time.”

Cyril brings in quite a comparison by including the Ford vs Ferrari reference with Luca. The grit and temperament he holds with the aim to defeat the racing giants such as Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari speaks of the David and Goliath feud.

A prospect that the racing world will be looking forward come 2021.

“He has got a good knowledge of the sport, and a good knowledge of the people. Also, his knowledge of the sport means he values and he appreciates the difficulty and the competitiveness of this sport. For me, if I draw a little bit of a comparison, it’s like the movie Ford v Ferrari.

“For me he is approaching it not purely as a business, but also with the emotion and the determination that Ford had in the past when they decided they wanted to beat Ferrari.”

Renault enjoying quite a season

Renault is enjoying a fair season, having claimed 83 points in 9 races, Renault stands 5th in the Constructors’ standings, ahead of Ferrari.

Significant contributions from Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon bolstered Renault’s claim to a better spot. Even Ricciardo came close to clinch the podium on three occasions, however, he had to settle for 4th place.

Although the complete makeover will be commencing from the end of this season, we see a change in attitude and a motive to win. The much-needed hunger to perform well is already there. And with the technical changes, Renault will be expectedly vying for the top spots as 2021 rolls around.