Cyril Abiteboul: "2019 was a year where we became naked with nothing to hide"

Daniel Ricciardo's debut season at Renault did not go to plan. Having been the fastest midfield team in 2018, many thought that the French team would push on for more success and podiums in 2019 but the truth is they flopped and fell down the rankings. 

"For me, 2019 was a year where we became naked with nothing to hide," Abiteboul told Autosport. "With great drivers and a much better engine, there was nowhere to hide. But you know, that's F1. You can't hide in F1.

"And because we were not hiding, we've been able to again to see what action we have to take."

Abiteboul believes that Renault have learnt from the poor season and hopes that in 2020 they can start climbing back up the ladder. 

"I think we needed a year like this one to see the leftover weaknesses of the team because some of them actually have been here since the [pre-2016] Lotus days and have not been dealt with enough care and attention.

"That's why it makes me say that it was not a year to write off. I think that we would never be able to go further if we had not had the difficulty, and also the reactions that come with it."

Renault have gone through their tough days and will hope to have come out the other end with a real sense of purpose to fix what was wrong last season.