Tension-hit Renault Formula 1 team just needs leadership
Cyril Abiteboul has admitted to "tension" behind the scenes at Renault's works Formula 1 team and the need for "very clear leadership"

Speculation has circulated that Renault's worse-than-expected first season back in F1 as a factory team has prompted internal turmoil, with a knock-on affect on finalising its 2017 driver plans.
Renault Sport racing president Jerome Stoll, along with managing director Abiteboul and team principal Fred Vasseur, are the men charged with trying to smooth the waters at Enstone and Viry.
Asked whether there was any conflict inside Renault, Abiteboul told Autosport: "Just tension because of the performance.
"Look at Red Bull, there was lots of tension last year, and ask Mercedes when they were not performing - there was also tension - so of course we have tension.
"I'm not shocked by the situation we are going through right now, and absolutely I can handle the tension.
"If people are not prepared to handle or live through that tension then they shouldn't be in Formula 1."
Abiteboul, who switched from the engine facility at Viry to oversee the chassis department at Enstone a few months ago, recognises there is a need for authority and direction within the team.
"The one thing the team needs is not money, investment or people, but leadership - very clear leadership," said Abiteboul.
"That's what Jerome, Frederic and myself have to provide to the team - clear and overall leadership of where we want to go, and that is what we are in the process of clarifying for everyone's benefit.
"Everyone has to accept, internally and externally, that nine months ago none of this existed, none of this management structure.

"People just need to give us a bit of time so that there is a clear understanding and perception of who is responsible for what.
"But between Jerome, Frederic and myself, we have the types of personalities, skillsets, and management time to organise the two teams.
"It's very demanding, but we have what it takes."
Abiteboul believes it should not be forgotten the works team is still in its infancy just nine months after taking over Lotus.
"When things do not go well, it's difficult, that's no secret," said Abiteboul.
"And when a team performs then suddenly it's a honeymoon again for everyone.
"Frankly, it's year one. Everyone has had to find their own space, and everyone has had to find their position.
"When I look at what most of the team has had to go through I'm not worried, and I don't think we should be shy or ashamed of what we are doing.
"We have ambition, and there is nothing that makes me think we are not going in the right direction with the structure we have."

What F1 needs from its new owner
FIA says Sepang has fixed track issues ahead of F1's Malaysian GP

Latest news
Williams: Vowles can help "finish off the journey" in F1 turnaround
Incoming Williams Formula 1 boss James Vowles can provide long-term stability and help "finish off the journey" in taking the team forward, according to sporting chief Sven Smeets.
WRC Rally Sweden: Everything you need to know
The World Rally Championship heads to the snow covered roads of Sweden for the second round of the season this weekend. Here's everything you need to know.
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
Alfa Romeo hopes new C43 F1 car is "an all-rounder"
In 2023 the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team starts a three-year transition to its new Audi identity, with just this season to be run in the colours of the Italian manufacturer.
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.