Abiteboul says Red Bull split could be positive for Renault

Renault Sport F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul believes that the split with Red Bull will allow Renault to focus more on themselves and not on Red Bull’s “eccentric” wishes.

The Red Bull Renault partnership was a successful one, four years of drivers’ and constructors’ championship dominance shows that but only 11 wins in the past four and a half seasons has strained the relationship, with Red Bull not being able to compete with the power advantage that Mercedes and Ferrari have over them.

Abiteboul says that Renault’s work with Red Bull had led to them making compromises to suit Red Bull, rather than their own team, so whilst he is disappointed at the split, he believes Renault can benefit from it.

Red Bull have switched to Honda engines, following the lead of their sister team Toro Rosso. Renault have had a positive start to the season, so could become real contenders in time if they can focus on themselves.

Abiteboul continued: "It sometimes required some additional effort for our guys, with compromises between their requests and the priority that is naturally given to Enstone's wishes, especially regarding the engine/chassis integration.