Vatanen cries sour grapes
The meeting did not result in an absolute commitment to F1 with the team's chief executive Carlos Ghosn saying they will "make an announcement on our participation in Formula 1 before the end of the year."
Should Renault walk away from the sport, they would join big-name manufacturers Honda, BMW, Toyota and Bridgestone, all of whom have quit in the past 12 months.
Both Honda and Toyota cited "economic realities" as the reason for their withdrawal, however, former World Rally Champion Vatanen believes the actual cause is those who have governed the sport in recent years, adding that under new president Jean Todt's reign the "old guard are still in power."
"If you analyze it Renault is right, they are a serious international corporation and not loonies like Max Mosley has called them, they are just very disillusioned with the governance of Formula One," the 57-year-old Finn told CNN.
"(Renault) would stay in the FIA Championship if the sport was known for positive news and if it was a good avenue for marketing and promotion – but Formula One is only known for conflict, crisis and court cases recently, and big companies cannot afford that.
"We must realize the economic realities is nothing to do with the crisis. Big companies always look to market and promote, even when times are tough, but only if it is in a sensible way.
"I do hope ([Renault do not leave), but if they do it is the final alarm call that we cannot continue with business as usual. I'm sad to say the old guard are still in power in the FIA but teams are starting to vote with their feet."
Vatanen, however, is not the only one who believes Max Mosley's reign did more damage than good as Ferrari released their own statement earlier this week blaming the former president.
"The reality is that this gradual defection from the F1 fold has more to do with a war waged against the major car manufacturers by those who managed Formula 1 over the past few years, than the result of any economic crisis," the Scuderia said. PlanetF1