Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul expects no change in position on the future of the company’s Formula 1 operation following the sacking of Carlos Ghosn.
The now former chairman and CEO was axed after being arrested in Tokyo this weekend on suspicion of financial irregularities which a whistleblower reportedly disclosed to executives at partner company Nissan.
Ghosn was a key supporter of Renault’s return to F1 as a full works team in 2016 but with him now gone, some had pondered if his interim replacement Thierry Bollore would reconsider the program.
“It is a substantial piece of development for the Renault group,” Abiteboul was quoted by Autosport when asked about Ghosn’s exit.
“My message is simply that there is a continuity plan of all the operations of the Renault group, as well as Nissan and Mitsubishi.
“F1 is part of this operation. It is a project and an activity that is well known, very visible, generating a lot of exposure with clear expectations about a return on investment, and contribution to the business.
“I think the reasons why we joined F1 in late 2015 are still here today, for exposure, and for technology development.
“There is no reason that those factors are suddenly going away in case of any development for which I don’t want to speculate at this point in time.”
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With Renault struggling to close the gap to their rivals on the engine side, improvements in performance and results for the works team may be more important now, however.
But again, Abiteboul maintained the outlook remains the same.
“If F1 was still a good proposition in the past, it still has reason to be in the future,” he said. “It is in our hands to deliver the best possible results [for the right costs] for the benefit of the company.
“I have no indication that Thierry Bollore is not keen about F1. Again, the director of our company has very good knowledge of what we are doing, so no teasing, no scepticism – just focusing on facts and what we need to deliver.”