F1 “not doing enough” to level playing field - Abiteboul
F1 “not doing enough” to level playing field - Abiteboul
Renault Sport F1 Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul believes more needs to be done to even out the grid after seven years of title domination by Mercedes.
Abiteboul praised the introduction of a budget cap and future regulation changes that aim to prevent a single team running away at the front, but said he is concerned that the methods may be difficult to police.
“I am really concerned that we are still not doing enough to bring the sport to a level playing field,” he said. “A number of steps have been made, but all of that will only be as good as the monitoring and enforceability of the system.
“Only time that will tell if what we have done is good enough. We also need to be careful with the movement of personnel because some teams will have to downsize, some teams are going to increase their operation.
“It is in that sort of thing where we need to make sure that we stick with the regulations. There are a number of restrictions in the regulations for these things, and we just need to make sure they are enforced properly.”
Mercedes scored 573 points this season and were over 250 points clear of second-placed Red Bull on 319.
The gap to the midfield was a further 117 points with Mclaren ending the year third on 202 points. Renault, in fifth, registered 181 points - the team's highest total since it last won the constructors' title in 2006.
Abiteboul noted the “interesting” fact that, heading into the season finale, Renault, McLaren and Racing Point each highlighted distinctly different development philosophies - Renault developing the entire car and power unit in house, McLaren developing a car but purchasing a power unit and Racing Point buying a power unit and certain components.
However, while each team is similarly matched, he suggested it would be far better for the sport if the battle was not for third but was being fought for the championship trophy.
“Renault, a complete manufacturer, producing every single thing from the engine to the chassis, we are a true constructor,” he explained. “Then you have your other extreme we’ve seen this year, and it’s not a controversy but it’s no secret that Racing Point has the model of buying as much as they can from Mercedes.
“Then you have McLaren sitting in the middle and doing a great job at what it is responsible for, which is chassis design. What’s interesting in is that you have three teams fighting for the third position and we all have our own ideas.
“Frankly, to a certain degree, that’s fine, that’s good, that shows that we have an interesting battle that is possible with three different models. But we should not lose sight that we are all one second or more from the leading team.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 legend issues DAMNING verdict on proposed rule change
- 1 minute ago
Red Bull chief admits interest in poaching TWO rival stars
- 1 hour ago
Audi agree LONG-TERM F1 deal with star driver
- 1 hour ago
FIA boss HITS OUT at 'court of public opinion' after interference allegations
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Horner reveals Verstappen SECRET as team reveal surprise name change
- Today 06:27
Ferrari announce DRASTIC change as Verstappen issues dire warning to bosses - GPFans F1 Recap
- Today 00:27
Related news
Ferrari chief Vasseur takes swipe at former F1 employers
Former F1 winner reveals playing CARD GAMES with team-mate and boss moments before races
Former F1 winner makes 'SHARK' claim in attack on former boss Jordan
F1 great SLAMS Alpine bosses for 'thinking they know everything'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860