Renault has announced the departure of F1 team principal Cyril Abiteboul, who ran its Formula 1 team until last season.
Abiteboul oversaw Renault’s return to Formula 1 as a full constructor in 2016. Last year the team scored its first podium finishes since the former world championship-winning outfit was was revived.
The company previously confirmed the team will be rebranded as Alpine, its performance car sub-brand, for the 2021 F1 season. This followed the arrival of Luca de Meo as Renault’s new CEO last year.
“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.”
Renault has announced Laurent Rossi as the chief executive officer of Alpine, effective from today. Rossi is the group’s director of strategy and business development. He is likely to assume control of the F1 team, and report to De Meo.
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.”
