Renault Formula 1 Team has announced a change of role for its Chief Technical Officer Bob Bell, with immediate effect.
The 60-year-old rejoined Renault in 2016 when it took over Lotus after his stints at Mercedes and Manor between 2010 and 2015. He played a key role in the revival of the French manufacturer in F1.
He had been part of Renault prior to joining Mercedes in 2010, but returned to its fold when it was looking for a senior personnel to help them recruit and structure a sound technical team for its F1 bid.
Instead of leaving the sport fully just yet, he has taken up the advisory role where he will take ‘responsibility for developing technical collaborations with third parties to explore specific expertise and technologies that can contribute to the team’s overall performance’.
Team boss Cyril Abiteboul said: “In just two and a half years he has helped to make Renault Sport a genuine and respected points scorer. He’s also a massive part of the heart and soul of the team and a real motivator for everyone to draw together and get the best from themselves and each other.
“Under this planned transition within the team’s executive management, Bob will now look closely at how to work with our partners but also the different stakeholders of Formula 1, and of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance, to ensure we continue to move even further up the grid.”
Bell will report to Abiteboul under his new role and the team confirmed that his position will not be filled up by anyone since there is a ‘fully functional and agile collaboration between Viry and Enstone’ already in place.
The team has had a tough return since 2016 but has improved well this year as it sits fourth in constructors’ standings at the halfway stage in the 2018 season with 82 points – 16 ahead of its nearest rival Haas.