Abiteboul about failed 2020 plan: ''We planned to develop very aggressively''

Renault dropped a bit back in the rankings in 2019, even though they invested in top driver Daniel Ricciardo. They gambled on the new regulations for 2021, but with the these being postponed, the question remains how competitive can Renault be in 2020 and 2021?

The big plan of the French race stable seems to crumble a bit in 2019. With a real frontman in the shape of Ricciardo at the wheel the gap with the top teams should at least be narrowed, but the opposite turned out to be true. Renault falls back and even customer team McLaren has to endure in the final ranking.

The fall of Renault

In 2020, the tie has to be turned. Of course the car has been improved and the problems of 2020 have been solved, but where McLaren clearly indicates to focus everything on the current car, Renault already says it aims for the new regulations. However, this causes some problems for team boss Cyril Abiteboul now that they have been postponed by at least one year, 

''Of course I have to manage the expectations. During testing we had a good feeling and achieved all our goals, but you don't know what the rest is doing. In Australia we had our first real test, but now that it hasn't gone ahead we have to wait and see where we really stand'', Abiteboul talks to Formula1.com.

The sequel for Ricciardo

''We planned to develop very aggressively during this season, but now the focus is on restarting the factory when we reopen. The figures looked good for before the break, so we can look forward to the season with confidence'', concludes the Frenchman.

Whether it will be possible to keep leading rider Ricciardo with that in mind is very much open to question. Daniel doesn't hide the fact that he wants to drive for a top team and he has shown at Red Bull Racing that he can. If Renault can't promise a competitive car in 2021, Ricciardo may have to look elsewhere.