Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul is using the example of Red Bull as both motivation for Renault and a warning that success takes time.

Red Bull won four consecutive championship doubles from 2010-2013 using Renault power, and is currently second in the constructors' championship with one victory this season. While the Renault works team is struggling with just six points to its name, Abiteboul told F1i he is aware of how long it took Red Bull to finally win races having originally entered F1 in 2005.

“It’s good to see Red Bull as a benchmark, it’s useful and it’s pleasant to see our engine make such progress and that’s of use to everyone, but at the same time it’s a little bit painful," Abiteboul said.

"That said, we’ve been with Red Bull for so many years, we know what they had to go through in their infancy. Their cars were a bit hideous at the start, the transition from Jaguar to Red Bull was not painless. They were looking at their structure, Adrian Newey didn’t join immediately, so I think Red Bull is an example that was not built in a day.

"So we take that into account, we remember also what they did well and what they did wrong and we are factoring that into our plan.”

And Abiteboul says the Red Bull example is important for Renault to cite while it is struggling this season in order to keep spirits high within the team.

“It’s motivation because we see our hard work on the engine side is paying off and their hard work on the chassis side is paying off. So if we do things right, like they did, then there is no reason why there shouldn’t be any dividend up the road for Renault.

"But we have to learn patience, it took them four or five years to get to the level that we see today so we know that it’s going to be the same sort of time if we do things as well as they did.

"It will take time, what matters is do we do the right things as we stand today and frankly there is not much we can do to the current situation to improve the car. We have to accept it, keep the motivation, keep the morale and stay focused on what matters which is really the future.”

2017 F1 driver line-ups so far

F1i Classic: 'Gentleman Jo' Bonnier

Silbermann says ... A letter to Chase Carey

Estimated F1 driver salaries for 2016

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

14 hours ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

16 hours ago

Jos Verstappen rips British media after Brazilian Max fest

Jos Verstappen wasted no time after his son spectacular win at the São Paulo Grand…

17 hours ago

Leclerc left with ‘mixed feelings’ after disappointing Sao Paulo GP

Charles Leclerc's weekend in Sao Paulo was unfortunately a stark contrast to Ferrari's recent triumphs…

19 hours ago

Back when Kimi knew exactly what he was doing

Twelve years ago on this day, Kimi Raikkonen took a popular win at the 2012…

21 hours ago

Mercedes fined for starting grid tyre pressure infringement

The Mercedes team was hit with a fine by the FIA after Sunday’s Sao Paulo…

21 hours ago