Nicolas Longuet leaves Renault Vitality

After only 1 race in 2019, Nicolas Longuet had made an impression in 2019 by finishing in 2nd place at the Italian Grand Prix. A remarkable performance that had allowed him to sign with Renault Vitality as a regular driver. The goal was clear: to finish at least in 3rd place in both the driver and constructor championships.

Nicolas Longuet in 2020 achieved 2 victories, 2 pole positions, 4 podiums, and a 4th place in the driver standings at the end of the season. The French sim racer scored nearly 96% of his team Renault’s points, earning them the third position in the team standings. A great performance but the French team failed to establish itself as a serious rival to Red Bull and Alfa Romeo, who finished almost 200 points ahead.

A big risk

Despite the progress made between 2019 and 2020, Nicolas Longuet decided to leave the Renault Vitality team. A decision that could be motivated by the fear that the Enstone structure may not be able to continue its progress and would not allow the French player to fight for the title in the short term.

Renault seemed to be dedicated to helping the young sim racer, and leaving the diamond-shaped brand is a big risk for Longuet, who may potentially not find another structure as involved in his success.

But where can Nicolas Longuet go?

One of the first solutions, and probably the best, would be to join Alfa Romeo, which finished 2nd in the team standings in 2020 and which, following the departure of Jarno Opmeer to Mercedes, would surely need a new top driver to replace the current world champion. McLaren Shadow could also be a good team for Nicolas Longuet, who would replace Dani Moreno, who also left for Mercedes. However, the British team only finished 6th in 2020, so it is unlikely that Longuet would have decided to leave Renault for a structure that performed less well unless it can offer him significant advantages such as better tools, a better environment or a higher salary.