Cyril Abiteboul: “I’m thinking more about everything that remains to be done”

What feelings does this first podium give you? Renault for 10 years ?

It’s obviously an immense satisfaction, which comes after so much effort. And at the same time, the work is not finished, whether this season or in relation to our longer-term objectives. We can’t just be satisfied with a 3rd place with the other car dropping out. But I still think about a whole bunch of moments, a whole bunch of people. It’s something that we can talk about, but that we ultimately can’t imagine from the outside. This kind of result rewards the work of thousands of people. I remember the moments of doubt we went through, the questioning that came from outside and inside. It’s all that is brought back in an instant, a moment in the life of the team. I think more about everything that remains to be done rather than everything that has been done.

This Top 3 does not come out of nowhere. Were you prepared for it?

This moment, I welcome it, we must all welcome it. What is satisfying is seeing the consistency of the car. This is not a stolen result. Of course, we benefit from dropping a car, but the podium has been in sight for a while. This time, we managed to achieve it. But something is tearing me up a little, it’s having only one car at the finish today. I can't stand these reliability problems anymore. It really bothers me. And that will penalize us in the championship.

The rest of the interview with Cyril Abiteboul can be found in AUTOhebdo No. 2282, available in digital version and on sale at newsstands.