In the round-up: Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul says the team’s staff was motivated to work longer hours during the Christmas break by the knowledge that Daniel Ricciardo was joining them.
What they say
If you were standing in our position and looking at that opportunity of securing Daniel last summer and deciding not to do it what does that mean? It means that you don’t believe in yourself.
How do you want me to be standing in front of the factory and trying to motivate everyone and explaining to everyone that we are in line with the plan, but if you have one of the best drivers out there that’s available and you don’t go for him, what would that mean?
By default we could not let that opportunity pass without seizing it. And now it’s just accepting the responsibility that this means for, for me for myself, for Renault and for the whole team.
But at the same time it’s a huge opportunity to motivate everyone. We made the decision in the winter we just discussed about how much we push production. No one is complaining about that because everyone wants to give the best possible car to Daniel.
In winter in Viry we’ve got the team open on Saturdays, we cancelled holidays. We usually have a factory shut down on week 52 before Christmas because that’s the best way to optimise resources. We cancelled that. No one criticised that decision on the basis of the driver that we have.
So also on the management perspective it’s creating some pressure but it’s also an opportunity. It’s making my life easier to impose to everyone the sort of condition that we will have.
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
World, meet the Renault R.S.19.
Renault R.S.19… meet @danielricciardo! #RSspirit #ItsON pic.twitter.com/CIz9WO1h0I— Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) February 16, 2019
Phenomenal final lap in the @FIAFormulaE #MexicoCityEPrix pic.twitter.com/EJhO6raQGv
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) February 16, 2019
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
The Formula 1 gossip column (Sky)
Esteban Ocon: "This year for me is going to be very busy. I will be of course at every race following the work from the guys from Valtteri, Lewis, trying to learn as much from them as well. In the European races I will be also doing all the set-up work for the team from the simulator from Brackley and then flying on Friday night to be on the track on Saturday."
Smedley joins F1 as expert technical consultant (Racer)
"In conversations with Ross, we were both of the opinion that there’s this really rich seam of technical content, of data, of the way that teams operate, that actually never gets told."
Ericsson enjoys challenge of fresh start at IndyCar sprint training (IndyCar)
"Coming back here to Austin, you have your (corner) references from the Formula 1. It's very different with the IndyCar. But still I love the track in the F1 car. I love the track in the IndyCar, as well. It's still super challenging. It's still very high speed in the first part of the lap."
Vettel: No reason to expect early Ferrari departure (Autosport)
"It's quite known that my contract goes until 2020 so don't expect anything else."
Keyvan Andres together with HWA for 2019 (F3)
"German-Iranian Keyvan Andres will drive for HWA RACELAB in the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship. The 18-year-old brings a wealth of formula experience to the team."
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Comment of the day
An interesting contrast between Ricciardo and his new team mate Nico Hulkenberg from @Gechichan:
As much as I like Hulkenberg, I feel he’s the exact opposite of Ricciardo when it comes to converting slim chances into podiums or wins. Hulkenberg has had a few chances when he could have broken his infamous record when he drove for Force India (even Perez had a couple of podiums for them), but somehow failed to do so by his own mistakes or bad luck. On the other hand Ricciardo is the best ‘thief’ in the pack, so i’m not sure we’ll see a podium for Hulkenberg this year.
@Gechichan
From the forum
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On this day in F1
- 25 years ago today Pacific’s first Formula 1 car, the PR01, ran for the first time at Snetterton with Paul Belmondo at the wheel.
Armand Serpentier (@armandf1v)
17th February 2019, 0:35
I’m finding FE kinda dissapointing, i know most of the time there is excitement, but like todays race, the only overtakes were because they make mistakes, and thats mostly due to the unstable car. in 20 minutes there was no overtaking(over a 45 min race), and the only way they did was when they used attack mode, which is 3 or 4 laps. They hype the cars up to be close following, and yes they do, but you can’t overtake with them, the first race was exciting, but the last were really boring for me. It annoys me that the only way to win or overtake is to hope that the other driver makes a mistake or that you have the boost, it’s not anymore about who’s the fastest.
Miani (@miani)
17th February 2019, 2:56
Usually there’re a good number of overtakes in FE. The lack of overtakes today is more because of the track layout. Your conclusion based only in one race is maybe misleading.
bosyber (@bosyber)
17th February 2019, 8:43
@miami I liked seeing those cars go around the track (ie. qualifying was good, I guess? I thought only Massa and Wehrlein really did that last chicane well, and they were rewarded), but indeed, there weren’t many ‘normal’ ways to overtake, and the (obvious strategy of) defensive use of attack mode neutralized that at least for most of the field.
I do have to agree that it’s mostly mistakes, or the car being unstable that then force sudden mayhem/overtakes. It has its excitement but doesn’t quite feel like real racing, though the fight for the lead (with energy use being a full part of race strategy) was pretty good.
bosyber (@bosyber)
17th February 2019, 8:44
@miani, sorry, thought of the city in Florida, USA :)
Miani (@miani)
20th February 2019, 14:29
It’s my surname Miani.
Armand Serpentier (@armandf1v)
17th February 2019, 11:29
@miani i know there are normally more overtakes, and it not the first race i’ve watched, but in the last 4 races i’ve seen only overtakes with attack mode, few without. it’s dissapointing and also misleading if your cars can follow this close to each other, but then when it comes to overtaking they cant get a meter closer. if you have good pace you cant overtake because the car infront is a mobile chicane. if you have to hope that the other car makes a mistake to overtake somebody, it not fun anymore, and people who want to prove themselves only get the chance in qualifying because the performance in the race is dummed down
Abe (@okeptl)
17th February 2019, 5:30
Some FE races are good, but personally I find the excitement somewhat lacking this season. Looking at the social media and the race recap, it reminds me of Mitch Evans’ unlucky race last time in Rome, except this time its much more boring. The only exciting thing on this ePrix was that pole lap from Pascal, that was a ballsy move on turn 13.
I agree with your assessment that this season has been a battle of attrition, while racing comes second. D’Ambrosio was gifted in Marrakesh, Santiago ePrix had an awful tarmac, now we have this mess. I also think the all out Riyadh ePrix was the best race of the season, despite all that nonsense penalties. Hong Kong was OK last year, hopefully the race will be better there next month
GechiChan (@gechichan)
17th February 2019, 9:13
That’s what bothers me the most about FE compared to F1. The stewarding is very extreme and it detracts from racing most of the time. Just a few examples from yesterday (and previous races only this season):
1. Wehrlein was instantly given a 5 seconds time penalty for cutting the chicane, but he had nowhere because he was pushed outside bu DiGRassi. He imediately slowed down to be caught and in a couple of corners he was overtaken. It seemed harsh for his first mistake and for an unintended one where he didn’t gain anything. Just let them fight.
2. Poor Vandoorne was given a drive-through and 5 seconds time for deploying fanboost too soon. To me it seemed he wasn’t his fault, that was clearly a glitch in the FE system, when they showed the availability of FB too soon. So, if you show drivers that this is available, why make them count the minutes until they can use it. On top of that, Vandoorne managed to somehow deploy more energy than allowed for FB (these rules and system that are glitchy in FE are really detracting from racing).
3. Jerome D’ambrosio cut the chicane and gained 3 or 4 places when the red-flag incident happened. He was never investigated and restarted the race in 9th (having started from 19th).
4. Worst of all was DiGRassi’s disqualification last race in Chile. He stuck it in on pole with over half a second advantage, but his cool-down lap was deemed illegal for some newly introduced braking rule infringement. So he had to start from the back of the grid, ruining all chances of a podium. That’s really harsh, couldn’t they give him a points penalty or grid places penalty for the next race?
5. DS Techeetah drive-throughs in Ryadh were ridiculous.
FE does a lot of things right, but forcing the stewards to artificially introduce some randomness and unknown into the races is not one of them.
Abe (@okeptl)
17th February 2019, 23:24
The stewards gave quick judgements, and that is the only good thing going on about them. Most of these rules that teams or drivers unintentionally break, we don’t have any explanations about it during the race. Especially when it is very technical about energy deployment or tire pressure, the commentators hardly give a decent amount of info or explanation on what the heck is going on. I still remember i turned off last season’s Zurich ePrix where almost every driver including JEV gets a penalty. That time it almost feels like a sabotage on his championship battle. Formula E really needs to improve on Stewarding and explaining the violations & infringements, knowing what is happening by reading through the media post-race when the penalties are handed straight away just feels wrong
Riantama (@rntm)
17th February 2019, 7:59
+2
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
19th February 2019, 6:50
This year, there are huge amounts of marbles off-track, which seems to be hampering the overtaking.
Andy
17th February 2019, 0:43
If you push people too hard (e.g. canceling long-anticipated holidays) then productivity and moral actually suffers. He says “Nobody is complaining about that…” but he really means nobody is complaining to him or other management, I bet they are complaining behind management’s back.
Rudy
17th February 2019, 5:59
This. Happens all the time
Ross
17th February 2019, 6:18
Or they might just be happy to actually work, to perform as a team and push themselves to the front of the grid… if you gave any of the workers the choice of holidays and coming 4th or no holidays and coming 1st I bet I know which they would choose.
William Jones
17th February 2019, 7:55
Do you think their families would choose the same?
bosyber (@bosyber)
17th February 2019, 8:45
For a while, if it results in success for the team, I’d think yes – that’s part of the deal of working in F1; but, a bit like Rosberg, it cannot last forever, which is why even successful team people eventually move on, I think.
Ross
17th February 2019, 9:04
I genuinely couldn’t tell you, but we’re not talking about an extended period of changed working conditions, just over Christmas to ensure they are prepared for the team. I don’t have a working knowledge of the rights of workers in Europe, but in Australia they wouldn’t just be able to cancel holidays without the workers agreement.
Coanda (@ming-mong)
17th February 2019, 11:22
you get what you sign up for. go hard or go home!
William Jones
17th February 2019, 14:51
That’s all well and good, but all the evidence supports that this attitude gets worse results
ColdFly (@)
17th February 2019, 6:46
nothing a few Freddo’s (or frog’s legs in Viry) can’t solve ;)
MB (@muralibhats)
17th February 2019, 0:48
Its one thing to ahow off that the team is motivated .. but not on expense of Hulk and even Sainz. What he said means that they dont have the same motivation for others.
Homerlovesbeer (@homerlovesbeer)
17th February 2019, 0:59
@muralibhats Why is it so hard to believe that a multiple race winner who choose to leave arguably one of the best teams on the grid can have the magnetism to motivate employees greater then a driver who had never been on the podium?
It does no disservice to the Hulk. Daniel simply had more charisma and appeal as well as a proven track record.
Nige
17th February 2019, 1:46
Anyway enough about F1, what about that FE epic race?? More passing and action than a season of F1, and what a finish – a real race!
JohnH (@johnrkh)
17th February 2019, 1:50
I could be wrong but I would imagine there was discussion with the team before the decision was made. This is a group of professionals, engineers and technicians. They all realize what’s at stake here and the goals they need to reach to claw back some credibility.
Also Ricciardo no doubt realizes the hill he needs to climb to prove the doubters wrong. So even if they do not quite get the results they are aiming for. No one can ever deny the effort and work they put in to achieve success.
krxx
17th February 2019, 2:07
Daniele Ricciardo, a true inspirator, a real leader whom people will follow on the path to success.
Now we can fight.
Coanda (@ming-mong)
17th February 2019, 11:24
who’s Daniele? oh maybe his sister…
krxx
17th February 2019, 15:25
@ming-mong
The spelling was a reference to his Italian heritage. Capisci?
NS Biker (@rekibsn)
17th February 2019, 3:18
Once read a piece from Kevin Cameron (Cycle World) in reference to motorcycle road racing, he noted “Lots of people want to be racers, but not everyone wants to race”.
Renault is definitely sounding like a group of “racers” and my bet is that this is (or should be) inherent in the hiring process for the team. Just ask Ron Dennis if he wanted workers or racers.
If the team is on board with the push for success, and having a motivating race winning driver will certainly help, am definitely looking forward to seeing the results.
COTD …. Bang-on. Ricciardo is a proven “racer”, a winner and one who can make something out of little or nothing. The Hulk has an opportunity to learn from one of the best. My bet is he will and its gonna be great to watch.
Jere (@jerejj)
17th February 2019, 7:27
Interesting COTD and I agree with it to some extent at least. Yes, NH indeed had a few chances to achieve that elusive first podium before already but managed to throw that away by making an unforced error, both last season and 2017 in Baku, as well as, also potentially the inaugural race by his qualifying position, but, of course, this season is again a different thing, so anything’s possible.
bosyber (@bosyber)
17th February 2019, 9:13
Good for Ericsson that he’s enjoying his drive in IndyCar, feeling he can make the difference as a driver there, as opposed to being relegated to the backend of the grid in F1.
Great too to read his description of the difference in how CotA feels in either car (though I imagine the positives of IndyCar might have been enhanced, and F1 slightly damped, with it being an Indy article, it’s still a great read ;) and well done for making the time/pace difference logical, with the cars’ different (design) goals.
Also, with him quickly being up to speed in IndyCar, and Wherlein being fast (though not a perfect FE racer yet) from the start of the season in Formula E, that’s a good reminder of the level of the grid in F1 (though poor Stoffel …)
Nacho Nachev (@nnachev)
17th February 2019, 14:20
I believe that from marketing standpoints, it’s really in Renault’s best interest to win with DR rather with anybody else.
Robbie (@robbie)
17th February 2019, 14:50
True, but really from a marketing standpoint just a win alone would be huge for them, and if it was NH that won that would be a hugely sentimental positive for the team as well.
Nacho Nachev (@nnachev)
19th February 2019, 23:19
That’s for sure. It will be also a great boost for Hulk’s career. It’s interesting to see how this is going to develop. NH and DR are on same pace day 1 and 2.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
17th February 2019, 15:06
That’s actually interesting – what if Hulk beats Daniel this season?
Will Abiteboul come out and say that Renault’s staff (including Abiteboul) were simply unmotivated in 2017 and 2018 despite obviously having a better driver in F1? :-)
BaKano (@bakano)
17th February 2019, 19:51
So Renault said earlier in the week that there were a risk they wouldn’t do the shakedown on Saturday but then we have the video of the car leaving the pits so I assume they managed to do it.
No more news about it here so I’ll look for’em in the Internet…
Garns (@)
18th February 2019, 2:55
I am a Ricciardo fan so nice to hear he has inspired the team but I can see why Hulkenburg made comments he is tired of questions about Dan. They might be using Dan’s arrival as inspiration and time to move up that next step, but they have to be careful not to leave Nico in the shade at the same time.