Renault: New Managing Director brings the spirit of “Le Mans 66”

(Motorsport-Total.com) – The new Renault managing director Luca de Meo brings a spirit to the Formula 1 team that is reflected in the valley behind the movie “Le Mans 66 – Remembered against any likelihood “(Usual:” Ford v Ferrari “), says Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul.

The successful Hollywood movie with Matt Damon and Christian Bale was released 2019 and tells of Ford’s ambitions in 1960 years with the Ford GT 40 wanted to attack the dominant Ferraris at Le Mans and in the end even beat them.

De Meo took over the French automaker in July and quickly showed his vision on – including the renaming of the team to Alpine to push the sports car brand . With this, de Meo has dispelled all doubts about remaining in Formula 1 and given the team a new boost, as Abiteboul emphasizes.

De Meo for Abiteboul “Sport-Changer” 237829

“That’s huge,” says the Frenchman to ‘Motorsport-Total. com ‘. “And honestly, even if he doesn’t interfere with every designate, it’s a sport-changer for me that I know someone in the background who expects the team to deliver, but at the same time can help them at any time.”

“He has a good knowledge of the sport and a good knowledge of the people. This means that he appreciates the difficulty and competition in this sport,” said Abiteboul. “If I want to compare it, it’s a bit like the movie ‘Le Mans 66’. It hasn’t just the industry approach, but also the emotion and determination that Ford had when they decided they wanted to beat Ferrari. “

Renault is currently with 83 points in fifth place in the constructors’ championship, but has justified hopes for third place, which McLaren currently occupies. And although the French have recently been on the up, Abiteboul is not entirely satisfied. “In the end, only the lap time and the championship count in this sport. And in this respect it is not good enough,” he emphasizes.

Progress, but not enough yet

Renault went astray a few years ago with its aerodynamic concept and therefore decided to pursue a different concept. “That’s always a risk, especially in a company our size,” said the team boss. “But we were not only able to absorb our losses, but also make progress. We can see that it works.”

“We had good upgrades and good development over the winter. And more is to come “he promises. “The team is starting to work together better and to understand the car better. Nevertheless, I believe that we are still unable to get all the potential out of the car and the team.”

“We didn’t get the points that were possible and are therefore not where we want to be. That’s why I prefer to focus on the Harmful than on the Certain, because the field is so tight.”