Haas boss Guenther Steiner has come out in defense of new recruit Kevin Magnussen whom Renault took aim at earlier this week.
In an interview with French publication Auto Hebdo, Renault's Abiteboul said he had been disappointed by the Danish driver in 2016, criticizing Magnussen for his lack of commitment and discipline.
But Guenther Steiner was quick to dismiss the remarks, and reiterated Haas' satisfaction with its choice of Magnussen to race alongside Romain Grosjean at the US squad.
"Kevin is a respected race car driver, and I must emphasise that," Steiner told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.
"We are all looking forward to working with him."
"If Abiteboul is upset about Kevin suggesting that the Renault management were not singing from the same song sheet, that's ridiculous.
"Because it's precisely for that reason that Frederic Vasseur has left the team," he said.
GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Saturday's proceedings were cut short due to a heavy rain storm rolling into Sao Paulo…
The FIA has postponed Saturday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying session due to adverse weather…
McLaren's successful 1-2 finish in the Brazilian Sprint race came with a dose of complexity,…
Max Verstappen has been demoted from third to fourth in the final standings of Saturday’s…
Lando Norris secured victory in Saturday's Sprint event in Sao Paulo thanks to a McLaren…
McLaren clinched a valuable 1-2 sweep of the São Paulo sprint race, with polesitter Oscar…