Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul has confirmed Daniel Ricciardo will take a pay cut due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Australian was accused of only chasing the money after agreeing to a £27m per year deal when he joined the Enstone-based team from Red Bull in 2019.
Renault too was similarly criticised for spending such an amount on a driver rather than putting it into the development of their car.
And after it was announced last the “vast majority” of staff had been furloughed to protect the F1 team, Abiteboul says he, Esteban Ocon and Ricciardo will also do their bit.
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“It’s a discussion we’ve already had. Daniel has already confirmed he is willing and I can confirm to you that he will reduce it,” he told L’Equipe. “The problem would have been if he had not accepted the idea.
“We still have to fix the terms but, in principle, I can reassure the Renault group management committee; I do not fear it will destabilise the F1 programme.”
The Renault chief does admit, however, the ongoing delay to the start of the 2020 season is presenting a challenge when it comes to deciding Ricciardo’s future beyond this year.
“In a normal season, we would have started work on the matter,” he explained. “We would have evaluated Daniel’s performance over the first four races and started or not the first discussions.
“We haven’t turned a wheel. We are blind but have to plan. We may have to make decisions without the season starting.”