Frédéric Vasseur will not be continuing the Renault F1 adventure
Renault Sport Formula One Team's team principal has decided to step down at the start of the 2017 season.
The French engineer who founded the ART Grand Prix team to compete in 2004, had joined Renault F1 for its big return to the premier class of single-seaters for the 2016 season.
He worked hard for the restructuring of the team and recruitment at the beginning of the season. He collaborated closely with Cyril Abiteboul, the general manager. This management of the team by the two men followed the plan set by the manufacturer to reach the top over the medium-long term. During the season, their roles changed, with Frédéric Vasseur taking on the role of team principal, while Cyril Abiteboul found his new position at Enstone in the manufacturer’s factory.
What emerges today from this separation with Renault is a difference in viewpoints regarding the management and direction that the Renault F1 team should take in the coming seasons. By mutual agreement, the Frenchman and the Enstone team have chosen to part ways, but Renault does not rule out the possibility of reaching out to its former team principal again in the future.
After a season of reviving and rebuilding the Formula 1 team, Renault Sport Racing and Frédéric Vasseur have chosen, by mutual consent, to part ways with immediate effect, according to a team statement. Both parties remain committed to maintaining the good relations they have nurtured up to now and hope these relations will occasionally take a new form in the future.
