Cyril Abiteboul: Winter gains are 'biggest ever'

Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul has claimed that the gains his team are making over the winter period are the biggest they have ever experienced.

Renault finished fourth in the constructor's championship in 2018 and will be hoping to match that or do better in the 2019 season. 

An optimistic Abiteboul believes that finishing in the top three is becoming more a reality with the way the current development set-up is working. 

“What I see is an acceleration everywhere,” Abiteboul told Autosport.

“The gains that we will be making on the engine are much bigger than we have ever done in a winter, much bigger, and the gains that we are currently doing in the wind tunnel are much bigger than we have ever done.

“But, we have to be careful on the wind tunnel side, the aero side, as there is a change of regulation [primarily concerning front wings]. You know that when it happens there is a big reset: you lose [downforce] and you quickly catch up.

“So, it is difficult to make a distinction between what is coming from the regulations and what is coming from the effect of the restructure [at Renault].

“But if I look at our capacity to engineer, to develop, design and manufacture, it is an acceleration everywhere.”

This news will be music to Daniel Ricciardo's ears. The Aussie moved to Renault in a team switch which could be very similar Hamiltons move to Mercedes from McLaren.