Ricciardo arrival provides Renault staff with a winning spirit

Renault Sport F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul says that Daniel Ricciardo's recruitment received an amazing reaction from the French manufacturer's staff whose spirits have been boosted beyond expectations.

After months of introspection and rumination in the first part of 2018, Ricciardo shocked the F1 community last summer with his decision to leave Red Bull and commit to a two-year deal with Renault.

Looking back on F1's biggest headline of the year, Abiteboul recalls the reaction of the team's Enstone and Viry crews which surpassed the Renault manager's expectations.

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"It was obviously a huge relief, fantastic news – and the way it was welcomed in the factories at Viry and Enstone was just amazing," Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

"I was expecting something, but nothing in relation to what I have been able to witness.

"It was a fantastic moment. I have never seen a reaction like that in either of the two factories. It was reminding me of the titles with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.

"We have not won anything, but there is this feeling that now we are really on a trajectory to be able to win something.

"We really feel now this obligation to come up with an engine and a chassis that will be capable of giving what that guy deserves."
For all the excitement and thrill generated by Ricciardo's arrival, Abiteboul also underscored the additional pressure associated with the presence in the team of a Grand Prix winner.

"We feel more obliged towards Renault, towards our sponsors, towards our fans, towards the legacy of the Renault brand in motorsport, because I don't want to look at disappointment or frustration in his eyes over the next two years," explained the Frenchman.

"I don't want to feel what McLaren must have felt with Fernando over the past few years."

It's unlikely however that Renault's performance level will dramatically increase at the outset, and none is more aware of this than Ricciardo himself.

"I was clear to Daniel that if he was expecting a team that is a turn key organisation – a turn key car where everything is ready and everything is prepared – and his only contribution will be to drive to a fantastic level, but just to drive, he should look elsewhere," stressed Abiteboul.

"What I told him is we are still in the making, we are still progressing, we are still in construction but his contribution will be to be much more than to drive. We are expecting from him to be an ambassador, a leader and to bring his experience, and his expertise into the team.

"We have added a lot of ingredients into the team, a lot of assets, a lot of people, a lot of headcount, but now we need that extra sparkle. I think he will like that challenge."

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