Cyril Abiteboul opens up on the situation with Daniel Ricciardo at Renault as Esteban Ocon shares his views too plus the discussions on budget cap amid pandemic.
It’s safe to say that when he signed his divisive contract with Renault in the summer of 2018, ex-Red Bull Racing’s Ricciardo was expecting more from the year that lied ahead of him, even taking into consideration that he wouldn’t be on the podium.
In a season that he hoped would propel Renault closer to the performance of the top teams, the French outfit which he was new to dropped back, being beaten out by its own customer team, McLaren, who showed signs of comeback after troubled past.
Always smiling, Ricciardo showed very few signs of disappointment with regards to how his year had gone, but it was understood that if 2020 was yet another year that didn’t go the team’s way, he would likely be considering putting an end to his experiment.
Being one of the grid’s most successful drivers, his future has been subject to speculation, and while he didn’t say that Ricciardo was locked down, Renault team principal Abiteboul expressed that he’d certainly like to retain him if possible.
“The silly season that has started before the season,” said Abiteboul in an interview with Sky Sports F1. “Is it the first time in history? We like Daniel. He imparted into a project that was very clear from day one and that project is clearly incomplete, both at the team level and, I guess, also at Daniel’s level.
“The circumstances are very strange in the fact that the season has not even started. So we are just halfway into what we need to do together and already we need to think about the future. And we are thinking collectively.
“I like to think we can do more together, we can accomplish more together and get more results than what we have done so far. That’s clearly the intention. But, having said that, we have a strategy plan. That plan was around substantial investment for the 2021 car.
“It happened that it’s now 2022 because the rules are delayed by a year. It doesn’t mean that we are dropping the ball on what we need to do this year and next year before 2022 because it’s just iterative that’s that very clear.
“We’d like Daniel to be part of that construction but clearly we know that we need to focus on what’s been missing so far to the team and what’s been missing is not the best [performance] of the drivers, clearly.
“So the focus in the next two seasons will have to be on the hardware to make sure that any driver that we have in the future gets the best that we can offer so we can meet everybody’s expectations – starting with mine, starting with Renault – in 2022,” summed up Abiteboul.
With Sebastian Vettel not renewing with Ferrari beyond 2020, it throws open another road for Ricciardo towards Maranello but with Charles Leclerc firm there, he will find himself in a similar situation like he would be against Max Verstappen in Red Bull.
It is a best chance, though, for Ricciardo to try out his luck if he doesn’t feel Renault will be able to pull through. At the same time, The French team will be wanting to retain his services while also build up his new teammate Esteban Ocon.
Already in testing, and in the months prior, the pair of them expressed excitement about working with each other, with Ocon being particularly excited to work with the Aussie, who has a reputation for his colorful personality.
“Well I’m definitely looking forward [to it],” said Ocon. “The first few days that we worked together there was good energy in the team. It’s very nice at the factory, and it’s really good fun because you can’t be mad at him at any point. He’s just a laugh.
“The first time I met him at the factory — I don’t know if I told you the story, but I turned around and I heard ‘catch. I got the ball in the face. I didn’t catch it, but that’s the first time I saw him at the factory! He’s a good laugh, you know, [but] once everything starts to get professional, then he’s very serious. That’s normal.
“We all want the same thing, and I’m looking forward to racing him. It’s a great chance for me to be able to compare myself against one of the best, and I judge Daniel as one of the best. He’s won races, he’s done pole positions, so yeah. It’s going to be cool to work alongside him.”
Aside from the above, Abiteboul and Ocon opened up on a host of different things, including the former’s hopes for his team’s relationship with the latter. It will be crucial that they work harmoniously to help Renault take on the Top 3 teams.
Among other things, Abiteboul discussed about the budget cap, where he felt that they are heading in the right direction which also helps Renault to decide its own future in the sport. One key topic relating to the budget cap was the driver salary.
Abiteboul believes it is also an important discussion as the rising demands makes it difficult for certain teams to keep one driver in. He felt that the teams throw in a lot of money to secure the services of a driver which hurts the overall hiring capacity of others.
The Frenchman noted that the F1 teams don’t wish to discuss citing long-term contracts like that with Charles Leclerc and or Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Ocon, talked about what most influenced his career, and the both of them on gearing up for possible Austria start.
Here’s news on Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari
Here’s Cyril Abiteboul on R.S.20, cost cap details
Here’s Nico Hulkenberg on multiple topics
Here’s Daniel Ricciardo on his future and more
Here’s Daniel Ricciardo on five underrated competitors
Here’s info about Renault furloughing
Here’s Esteban Ocon on Virtual GP and more
The story was co-written by Darshan Chokhani