Renault Formula 1 chief Cyril Abiteboul admits there wasn’t a plan to return for Esteban Ocon after swooping for Daniel Ricciardo last year.
The then-Racing Point driver and Mercedes had an agreement in principle with the Enstone-based squad for a 2019 seat, only for Renault to pull out and sign Ricciardo instead.
12 months on, Ocon is now signed for 2020 but Abiteboul insists it wasn’t the intention to simply hold off and sign the 23-year-old later.
“You can’t think too much ahead of yourself in this sport frankly,” he said back in Monza. “I think you need to take one step at a time and be fully committed to a decision here and now.
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“It [signing Ricciardo] was such a big thing for us that we needed to get that one done, but we also knew that there was a big risk of upsetting Mercedes.
“You can’t do that at the same time and think we’ll come back next year and it’s all going to be fine.
“You have to take it step-by-step and also look at the dynamic of the two drivers we had this year and of the team, which, again is the main reason why we’ve decided to do what we are doing, it’s all happening for a particular purpose which is what’s happening on track.”
Ocon is signed to a two-year deal with Renault, while Ricciardo is out of contract at the end of 2020.
