Abiteboul acknowledges disadvantage lonely position Renault, but is not desperate

Until last year, the engines were fairly evenly distributed among the ten F1 teams. Only Honda was on its own for the first few years. Starting next year, Renault will have to do everything on its own. Something that goes against Cyril Abiteboul's wishes, but he's not desperate for cooperation either.

Since Red Bull's move to Honda and McLaren's withdrawal of Renault engines after just three years, the French manufacturer has been on its own since 2021. Team boss Cyril Abiteboul recognizes that this is a disadvantage, but he doesn't try to bind a team at all costs.

Renault would like to have its own power block

"I've always said that we're not desperate for a customer team. But of course it would be better to have partner teams in the paddock. It would be important] for the further development of the bike - and also politically to be able to counter the other blocks that already exist," said the Frenchman against Sky Sports F1.

The latter is not unimportant, especially now that the influence of Mercedes is increasing in Formula 1. As many as four teams will use their engines from next year onwards. If important matters need to be voted on, these teams will often follow the wishes of the engine supplier.