Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul hasn’t closed the door on Fernando Alonso joining the French manufacturer for a third time in the future, but only on a multi-year deal.
The Enstone-based outfit is still considering possible driver options for 2019 as they wait for final confirmation from Red Bull on whether Daniel Ricciardo will be remaining with the team beyond this season.
That is key as Carlos Sainz is currently on loan with Renault and would be considered the lead candidate to replace the Australian if he were to go elsewhere.
“We are not in a hurry and we also have to see what are the side effects of the [Red Bull] decision on the engine,” he was quoted by F1i.com last weekend at Silverstone.
“In general the drivers we have work well and we would like to keep them, but I am also calm in the sense that, if we have a good car and progress as a team, we will have a selection of drivers who want to be with us.”
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Names like Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Ocon, both who have past associations with Renault, have been linked but the history between the team and Alonso means that possibility is always thrown in the hat.
“I don’t want to encourage that rumour,” Abiteboul told Spain’s Marca.
“I think Fernando first has to decide what he wants to do for himself, which is whether to continue driving in F1 or not.
“We have a lot of respect for Fernando, but we are more interested in drivers who want to be with us in the long term.
“We could still reach an agreement with Alonso, but doing it for a year would not make sense,” he concluded.
