Renault to Stay in F1 Only if Winning

Renault Chairman Louis Schweitzer has warned that the French team will only stay in Formula One as long as they are capable of winning.

The Frenchman said the high costs of the sport would not be justified if Renault did not fight at the very top.

"Formula One is a fascinating sport, but the costs associated with it are very high," Schweitzer told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We would like to stay in it for a long time, but only if we're winning. To be part of the bunch that is always behind doesn't interest us.

"What I want to stress is that the rules must be stable and most of all they have to let us save money."

Renault returned to Formula One as a team in 2002 and have scored only two victories since then. They finished in third place in last year's Constructors' Championship.

62-year old Schweitzer, who will be replaced in April by Carlos Ghosn, said he was pleased with how the team had progressed under the management of Flavio Briatore.

"I'm extremely satisfied by how Briatore has managed the team in these last three years," Schweitzer said.

"I've always approved all his choices, on drivers too. But it wouldn't be correct on my part to say who's better between Fernando Alonso or Giancarlo Fisichella. There is no first or second league driver."