Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul insists engine customer Lotus' impending switch to Mercedes for 2015 is no great loss for the French marque. Struggling Lotus' long-rumoured move to industry-leading Mercedes power was finally confirmed in Russia.
It means Renault's list of engine partners in 2015 has dwindled to just three -- 'works' team Red Bull, the energy drink company's junior outfit Toro Rosso, and backmarker Caterham. Red Bull boss Christian Horner, though, is not at all worried. "I think that as far as Red Bull is concerned, it will make little difference but as far as Renault is concerned, it allows them to focus fully on one solution -- on Red Bull Racing," he said.
With a similar view is Abiteboul, the former Caterham team boss who this year returned to Renault to lead the marque's restructuring after its disastrous start to the new V6 era. When asked about the impending loss of Lotus, the Frenchman told a group of Russian journalists: "I will not go into details, but the bottom line is that the number of customers of Renault Sport corresponds with our chosen business model."
"But it is also true that for specific marketing reasons, we certainly need to grow the number of customers. In F1, everything is organised on TV and in the press so that all the attention is focused on the top teams. If we had lost one of the strongest teams, it really would be a serious loss. Unfortunately, Lotus is not among the strongest teams, and so when it ceases to be a customer, it will not affect our situation in terms of marketing," Abiteboul insisted. (GMM)
Lotus loss not a big concern for Renault - Abiteboul
- Published on 14 Oct 2014 12:07
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
'Newey Hospitalised as Aston Martin Struggle On'Adrian Newey's arrival at Aston Martin was supposed to be the beginning of the team's transformation into a g...
07 May 2026 15:20 -
Red Bull Admit the Weight Problem Was Fixed Too Late but Promise More Progress by AustriaMax Verstappen knew something was wrong with the RB22 from the very first lap of the season. Red Bull have now formal...
07 May 2026 12:14 -
Schumacher Says Hamilton Should Step Aside for Bearman at FerrariRalf Schumacher has made a direct call: Lewis Hamilton's time at Ferrari should end after this season, and Oliver...
07 May 2026 16:22 -
Antonelli's Miami Win Gives Mercedes a Historic Podium RecordAndrea Kimi Antonelli's victory in Miami was not just another win in a dominant run of results. It also moved Mer...
07 May 2026 14:19 -
Horner Rules Out Alpine Return and Compares Marquez to VerstappenChristian Horner has been out of Formula 1 since Red Bull removed him from his team principal role last year, and he ...
07 May 2026 13:18
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
Team profile
- Team name Renault
- Base Enstone, France
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 7
- Romain Grosjean 8
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Pastor Maldonado 13
- Jenson Button 15
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Jolyon Palmer 30
- Esteban Ocon 31
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- 236,937 comments on Renault
26 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Renault
Replies (0)
Login to reply