Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul has admitted Daniel Ricciardo may have to wait at least one full season before thinking of wins with the French manufacturer.
In the first week of the current summer break, the Australian stunned the Formula 1 paddock by announcing his decision to leave Red Bull after five seasons and join the Enstone-based squad in 2019.
Some have praised the 29-year-old for seeking a new challenge out of the looming shadow of Max Verstappen, while others don’t see how a move to the current top midfield team will meet his desire to become a world champion.
Abiteboul too, concedes the ‘Honey Badger’ will have to be patient but admits his arrival is a big boost.
“His commitment to us proves our will to accelerate the catching-up process to the top teams,” the Frenchman told Auto Motor und Sport.
“It’s also a recognition of the work we have done over the past two and a half years. Daniel’s talent and charisma are a big bonus for us. We have to repay that trust by providing him with the best possible car.
Confirming Renault’s targets, he continued to France’s Auto Hebdo: “With Ricciardo, the big objective is to fight for the title in 2021, but we hope that he can start winning races in 2020.”
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The main reason most are sceptical of the move is the ongoing problems with the engine, which is underpowered and unreliable compared to their rivals at Mercedes and Ferrari.
Abiteboul disagrees, however, and instead sees the chassis as the main weakness.
“The engine is good enough to put a car in pole position, win races and fight for the title. Red Bull proves it,” he suggested.
“Without their problems, they would now be fully in the title fight and only two of their problems had to do with the engine.
“Here we are on schedule with our catching up. I am convinced that we will catch up with Mercedes and Ferrari in 2019, maybe even overtake,” Cyril proclaimed.
“I am satisfied with the performance increase. Not yet with reliability. On the chassis side we are still lagging aerodynamically.”
