Cyril Abiteboul takes stock of the 2019 Renault Sport Academy

It remains difficult to talk about the sporting record of the Renault Sport Academy in 2019. The tragic death of Anthoine Hubert profoundly marked the world of motorsport, and even more so the fold of the Losange where the Frenchman was integrated.

Hence the fact that the new tribute paid by Cyil Abiteboul, director of Renault Sport Racing, dominates when taking a look at the Renault development program campaign.

“We have had many strong moments with nine victories in three different championships, but we have also experienced some truly dark times with the tragic loss of Anthoine in August, indicates the French manager.

Anthoine had been part of the Renault family since 2018. We will never know what Anthoine could have accomplished, but we can be proud to have helped him realize some of his dreams.

He scored his first success in F2 in Monaco before establishing himself on his land in France. His hard work and determination will forever be his legacy. We will continue to run carrying Anthoine in our hearts. »

Titles expected in 2020 for Renault drivers

The next season should mark an increase in the performance of the drivers integrated into the Renault Sport Academy. Victor Martins in Formula Renault Eurocup came closest to securing a title in 2019, the F2 rookie campaigns of Guanyu-Zhou et F3 by Christian Lundgaard, Max Fewtrell and Yifei Ye, having been more complicated.

The desire of Mia Sharizman, director of the Renault Sport Academy, is clearly to see her drivers aim for leading roles, benefiting from the accumulated experience. “The coming year will be marked by an “offensive” for the Academy, specifies the latter.

Our goal is to win championships and we want to develop the reputation of our program so that the best young people want to be with Renault. I can't wait to see next season open this exciting period. »

Cyril Abiteboul also believes that the current generation has a strong chance of accessing the F1 in the near future, an objective undisguised by the French management. “Just as young designers and engineers are pushing enstone and Viry by infusing new energy into the team, our hopefuls are working incredibly hard to develop their talents, comments Abiteboul.

We are dedicating ourselves to their development by getting closer and closer to the presence of an Academy driver in an F1 seat. This remains our long-term goal and I am delighted to see that we have taken another step towards achieving this goal. »

2021 could be this horizon, but will also necessarily raise the question of available places, at Renault or elsewhere.