Renault has opened contract talks with Carlos Sainz, putting itself ahead of the curve in the event that the Spaniard, currently on loan from Red Bull, is released by the energy drink company for next year.
Renault finds itself in a situation where it does not hold the cards for Sainz who could be brought back into the Red Bull stable for 2019 if Daniel Ricciardo decides to move on from the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Just in case however, Renault Sport F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul has started talking to Sainz about the long-term future
"We have in my opinion still two great drivers, but obviously we have a particular situation with Carlos, which is a contract where we are exposed for next year, and we knew that since day one," said Abiteboul.
"That's why we need to start thinking way in advance about what could be the situation. And frankly, that is why we have already started discussion with Carlos about longer term, about what can happen beyond this year, accepting that it's not completely in his hands nor our hands.
"[It is] not a super comfortable situation to be in, but we need to accept that we are still playing catch up on many areas and one of the areas is also driver market, where we still need to try to be more in control of our future and of our destiny."
Abiteboul insisted the Renault works outfit was still very much a work in progress, which does not yet offer a strong and attractive package capable of luring a top tier driver such as Ricciardo.
"We are interested in talented drivers, and Ricciardo is a talented driver," said Abiteboul.
"I think Daniel Ricciardo is very well positioned to have a very clear understanding about where we are strong, where we can be weak. And I am talking about the engine, because obviously he is using a Renault engine, which can be good and sometime can be wrong.
"If we want to seduce drivers like Ricciardo – maybe Ricciardo, but maybe other drivers – the first thing that we need to do is to get our stuff right. And if we manage to build the best chassis/engine package, I am pretty sure that we can attract, because we can show that we are serious about our ambitions, someone like Ricciardo.
"But the first thing that we need to do for Daniel is to fix… not fix, because it's not broken, but to make sure that we are in complete control of the engine situation.
"Maybe we cannot control everything, but at least we need to have visibility on the future," he added.
"And that is why I am also acting to speed things up with Red Bull on the engine side, and that will be the same also on the drivers' side.
"We need to be fixed about our plans as soon as possible, bearing in mind that we can't control everything."
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