Renault F1 boss Abiteboul to leave team

Renault Formula 1 team boss Cyril Abiteboul is leaving the French car manufacturer, it was announced by Renault on Monday.

Laurent Rossi was named the AlpineF1 team  CEO.

Renault says Rossi will “take charge of Alpine Cars, Sport, F1 and competition activities”, reporting to Renault CEO Luca de Meo.

“I would like to thank the Groupe Renault for having trusted me for many years, particularly with the relaunch and reconstruction of the team since 2016,” said Abiteboul.

“The solid foundations of the racing team and the entities in France and England built over these years, the strategic evolution of the sport towards a more economically sustainable model, and more recently the Alpine project which provides a renewed sense of meaning and dynamism, all point to a very fine trajectory.

“I would like to thank Luca de Meo for involving me in the construction of the Alpine Business Unit and I wish the new structure every success.”

De Meo thanked Abiteboul for his “relentless involvement” in the Renault F1 program, which began with a miserable 2016 season that was not unexpected given the late takeover of the former Lotus team that Renault had sold its Enstone operation to a few years before.

De Meo added: “I would like to warmly thank Cyril for his tireless involvement, which notably led the Renault F1 Team from the penultimate place in 2016 to the podiums last season.

“His remarkable work in F1 since 2007 allows us to look to the future, with a strong team and the new Alpine F1 Team identity to conquer the podiums this year.”