Cyril Abiteboul can “only thank Red Bull”

Cyril Abiteboul, the general director of Renault Sport Racing, returned to AUTOhebdo on the setbacks experienced between Losange and Red Bull Racing which resulted in the return of the French brand as a manufacturer in F1.

Published on 27/02/2016 à 15:45

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Cyril Abiteboul can “only thank Red Bull”

The 2015 season of F1 was marked by tensions between Red Bull Racing et Renault, the Milton Keynes team complaining about the lack of competitiveness of its Power Unit and even threatening to leave the discipline. Convinced of finding a new engine manufacturer with Mercedes ou Ferrari, the Austrian firm nevertheless had to resolve to extend its partnership with the Losange which required that the 6l turbo/hybrid V1.6 be rebadged on the RB12.

Cyril Abiteboul, the general director of Renault Sport Racing, told AUTOhebdo that this step was decisive in the choice of the return of the French brand as a manufacturer in the discipline.

“Our project required us to regain our autonomy, our partners, and none of this could have been done without Red Bull terminating its contract”, he said in AUTO's F1 2016 Guidehebdo. “I can only thank them! Because they were convinced that their team only had to snap their fingers to find another engine…”

Discover the full interview with Cyril Abiteboul in AUTO's F1 2016 Guidehebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms and on kiosks.