'Abu Dhabi a championship in itself!'

Renault Sport F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul is looking forward to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend and with rankings in the Constructors' Championship still not confirmed before the final race of the season, he believes that a win at Yas Marina would be like winning a title.

Although the top places in the rankings are not reachable for Renault, the mid-table battle still has some potential twists and turns with a few teams vying for sixth position.

They are four points behind Toro Rosso in that position but will be wary of Haas Ferrari who are lingering in eighth just two points behind. Even though Renault can only finish as high as sixth, Abiteboul insisted that they would be going all-out for this final race.

"We go to Abu Dhabi aiming to finish this rollercoaster season on a high," said the Renault boss.

"This race is almost a championship in itself as we are in a tight battle with Toro Rosso and Haas, and everything is still to play for.

"Either one of us could finish between sixth and eighth position so we are being very careful with our preparations.

"We will have to combine an approach that is at the same time attacking, as we need five points more than Toro Rosso to get sixth, but also conservative as we are just two points ahead of Haas."

Abiteboul continued to say that he was confident in the abilities of his team and the new driver partnership of Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg who have made a positive start to their collaboration after three initial races together.

"We can be positive about our prospects," he said.

"Abu Dhabi will be the fourth race Nico and Carlos have worked together and we have had two double Q3 performances.

"They work well together and push each other in the right direction, allowing us to point our development accurately and accelerate elements that add performance to the car.

"Whatever the result this weekend, we already have the confidence of a strong driver line-up next season."