Renault Formula 1 team principal Cyril Abiteboul doesn’t believe the arrest of CEO Carlos Ghosn will impact the automaker’s endeavors in the series.
Speaking to the press during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abiteboul said that while Ghosn was instrumental in the marque returning to Formula 1 as a constructor, he doesn’t have any reason to be worried, F1i reports.
“Carlos Ghosn was instrumental in the decision to return in late 2015, but obviously it’s not just one man’s decision. It was debated at length in executive committee, at board level, and that was the decision of the company,” he said.
“We have no information that there will be any impact. We don’t see any reason why there would be more impact on this program than on anything else. We have been racing in Formula 1 since more than 40 years. We are part-way on the journey of a long-term plan – six years. Six years to build the team, six years to hopefully challenge these guys.”
Abiteboul remarked that, despite investigations into Ghosn, other senior members of the French manufacturer are still supportive of the F1 program.
“The reasons why we joined Formula 1 in the way that we joined Formula 1 back in late 2015 are still here today: for exposure, for technology development. There is no reason why those factors are suddenly going away.
“If Formula 1 is still a good value proposition in the past, it has no reason not to be also in the future,” Abiteboul added.
Renault is hoping to make significant steps up the F1 field in order to eventually challenge the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing for victories and championships. Beyond throwing money behind the development of its car and F1 engines, the car manufacturer was able to lure Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull Racing and secure him on a two-year contract.