Conflict at Renault behind Vasseur’s exit

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Frederic Vasseur explains why he’s stepped down from Renault after just one season.

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Comment of the day

Ben offers a view on Hamilton’s hectic 2016 itinerary:

In a world of private planes, luxury apartments and personal physicians, I don’t think you can say it’s any different to jetting back home after every grand prix. As long as he isn’t drinking himself stupid and not sleeping, then I don’t think it makes much difference to his performance on track.

I’m by no means a Hamilton fan, but if you can find me a driver who promotes the sport worldwide as much as him then I’ll be very surprised!

Frankly I think most people’s objection to his lifestyle is spawned from pure jealousy. I’d love to be able to see the world as he does, but he has the means to do it and does it. Fair play to him.
Ben Needham (@Ben-n)

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On this day in F1

Michael Schumacher GP2 test day 1

Michael Schumacher had a surprise test in a GP2 car on this day in 2010:

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19 comments on “Conflict at Renault behind Vasseur’s exit”

  1. I tend to agree with Maurice Hamilton’s article (not his paraphrasing of Alan Titchmarsh!).

    Paddy Lowe will be going to Williams to do an Adrian Newey at Red Bull. Obviously, this will prove a lot more difficult given the financial constraints at Williams in comparison to the relative freedom Newey had thanks Red Bull’s deep pockets. Williams aren’t in too bad a place though, thanks to Stroll Sr, they’ve got a healthy injection of cash, and plus the pay off from Mercedes for Bottas, they’d probably cover the loss of 4th place in the Constructors. This should see them being fairly comfortable through 2017 and this will be fertile grounds for Lowe to sow his seeds (thanks Titchmarsh).

    Red Bull proved in 09 and 10 that you can win as a customer, and there is no reason Williams can’t either. Im not saying they can win the championship in the near term, but they certain are capable of winning races. With Lowe’s recent experience at Mercedes he will bring a whole new perspective to team structure, technical management, trackside operations and race strategy.

    2018 could be a bright year for Williams, thats exactly what Lowe would have his sights on.

    1. Off course he will. Makes a lot of sense

  2. Today round-up should include notable tweet from Renault it self > https://twitter.com/RenaultSportF1/status/819202577913040897

    1. Rumors of Pastor coming back must be true. They are fire proofing the cars.

  3. Is that official then that Pat Symonds has left Williams? I don’t recall seeing an official announcement anywhere?

    If so that’s a sad way for him to end his career. What he achieved with Renault was remarkable as well as his recent work with Williams.

    I’ve also loved watching his recent interviews where he gives great incites to the sport and the technical aspects in a really relatable way.

    1. Symonds was basically the only one in the paddock who gave proper technical answers.

  4. Wikipedia states that Abiteboul joined Renault in 2001. So could this after all the brouhaha about the future of the team and decision making, simply boil down to a case of someone – in this case Abiteboul, feeling more important at Renault than the newly recruited Vasseur?
    Vasseur is an known winner who motorsports fans have seen in several racing series and who has managed drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel who went on to become legends of motor racing.
    But Cyril Abiteboul? It remains to be seen what his contribution to the sport will be.
    It certainly does not bode well for any team to have such in-fighting when they have not made much progress.
    I am not happy that Vasseur had to leave as I would have loved to see Renault rise rapidly to the front where she belongs

    1. Tata, on the other hand, it has to be said that some of the drivers that Vasseur has been working with in more recent years are perhaps not quite of the same calibre, such as Esteban Gutiérrez and Alfonso Celis Jr.

      1. But there’s also been Vandoorne and Ocon in recent years (at ART – assuming Vasseur worked with both), who more than make up for Gutierrez and almost make up for Celis.

        Especially in the last decade or so, it’d be rare to find any lower-formula team boss who hasn’t had to work with the less-talented but well-backed kids.

        1. @neilosjames he also worked with Hulkenberg.

          In his statement he says that the hardest part of the decision was to accept the fact that he won’t be able to work with Hulkenberg the next season, especially after convincing him to leave FI for Renault.

          Vasseur also said that he talked a week before with him, in order to inform him previously of the decision, and that he understood, it reamains however to be seen what Hulk thinks of all this. Nevertheless, his comments yesterdays regarding the surprises that Renault might have, were already made in the knowledge of Vasseur’s departure

    2. petebaldwin (@)
      12th January 2017, 9:31

      Vasseur is a very knowledgeable guy and from what we’ve seen so far, Abiteboul doesn’t have a clue. If Vasseur has left because of a disagreement with Abiteboul, you know Renault are going to be heading the wrong direction. It’d be like hearing that Newey left Red Bull over a disagreement with Helmet Marko over the design of a new front wing – whatever was said between them, you know that Newey would have been right!

  5. Cyril is a disease.

    1. He will make Renault Caterham again.

  6. Great article by Brundle! I’ve always admired Hakkinen craft, it’s great to have the insight from someone who raced against the greats!

    1. I’m by no means a Hamilton fan, but if you can find me a driver who promotes the sport worldwide as much as him then I’ll be very surprised!

      What does he do so much more than others I always ask? Feature in a perfume advertisement? He’s a triple world champion and the most recent big one, it’s quite logical he is sort of the face of the sport, just as Schumacher was before, and Vettel, and Alonso,…

  7. COTD:

    “I’m by no means a Hamilton fan, but if you can find me a driver who promotes the sport worldwide as much as him then I’ll be very surprised!”

    I disagree. I think Hamilton spends more time promoting himself than the sport.

    1. +1 my thoughts exactly

  8. Renault news just seems to get worse – they are trying to emulate the Ferrari management style.

    While they are essentially separate entities, I wonder how much of this dispute over direction will spill over to Viry and the PU production.

    All of a sudden I can see RBR’s 2017 aspirations going out the window.

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