Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul says he’ll be “transparent” in dealing with Fernando Alonso upon his return in 2021.
Two years after leaving McLaren, the Spaniard confirmed on Wednesday he will drive for the French manufacturer for the third time in his Formula 1 career having signed a two-year deal.
Historically, however, Alonso has built a reputation for demanding favouritism from his team before leaving on bad terms, but Abiteboul believes the time away from F1 may see a new attitude from the soon-to-be 39-year-old.
“I think the years that he had away from the track have probably been an opportunity for him to reset, to actually measure how lucky or privileged we are all of us to operate and perform in Formula 1, and probably to come with a fresh set of mind,” he said via Autosport.
“Let’s not forget how the competition, it can be toxic on people, on individuals, you know. No matter how hard you try, or how hard you work, you can’t win and it’s the sport that is doing that.
“I’m not surprised that a sport that’s like that is creating this type of situation and therefore legacy, but that’s also why he [Alonso] was so interested in this new profile for the sport [from 2022], and maybe the opportunity of bringing a new Fernando into a new F1.”
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As for how he plans to work with Alonso, Abiteboul says he will seek out former Renault boss and confidant of the double world champion, Flavio Briatore.
“I guess the only one who has been successful in that respect is Flavio, and I think it’s no secret that I grew up myself with Flavio,” he said.
“I’ve seen also some of the things that he was doing with Fernando and I keep on having some dialogue with Flavio.
“He’s around and he has been amongst many people, I’m not going to mention them, but he’s been part of today’s announcement.”
But with the potential for Alonso to become frustrated, should Renault’s performance disappoint, Abiteboul thinks the key to avoiding that is about being open and realistic with him.
“I take inspiration in what I will have to do next year in the way that I will handle Fernando. But for me again, the new Fernando, fresh from his one year off from F1, I think will be a better Fernando,” he claimed.
“I will make sure to be extremely transparent with him because he’s a smart person.
“He understands and knows a lot about F1, so the one thing that I would never do is lie to him or over promise and under deliver.
“So managing his expectation will be probably the starting point of a strong and fruitful relationship.”