Abiteboul leaves Renault F1 Team

Ahead of the 2021 F1 season, Renault have announced that the French outfit’s Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul is leaving the company with immediate effect.

Abiteboul had been Renault's team principal since the French manufacturer re-joined F1 grid in 2016 as a constructor, but it announced that the team boss would be leaving the company.

Ahead of its rebranding as Alpine F1 Team, the team announced the shocking departure of Abiteboul. The Paris-born engineer played a big part in Renault’s improvements in recent seasons and in the hiring of Fernando Alonso, who will make his return to the team with which he secured his two championship titles.

“I would like to thank the Groupe Renault for having trusted me for many years, particularly with the relaunch and reconstruction of the team since 2016,” said Abiteboul.

“The solid foundations of the racing team and the entities in France and England built over these years, the strategic evolution of the sport towards a more economically sustainable model, and more recently the Alpine project which provides a renewed sense of meaning and dynamism, all point to a very fine trajectory.

“I would like to thank Luca de Meo for involving me in the construction of the Alpine Business Unit and I wish the new structure every success.”

De Meo added: “I would like to warmly thank Cyril for his tireless involvement, which notably led the Renault F1 Team from the penultimate place in 2016 to the podiums last season.

“His remarkable work in F1 since 2007 allows us to look to the future, with a strong team and the new Alpine F1 Team identity to conquer the podiums this year.”

Renault has also announced that Laurent Rossi would be the new CEO of Alpine. The French company is yet to confirm the new team boss, but Davide Brivio, the former boss of Moto GP team Suzuki, is expected to join the team, probably as team principal of the rebranded outfit.