Following Carlos “Cost Cutter” Ghosn’s appointment as President and CEO of Renault and the sudden announcement of Fernando Alonso‘s departure to McLaren next year, paddock speculation of Renault’s departure from F1 has been rife. We even had an in in-depth look at the possibility of this in Renault’s F1 affair to end?.
During the launch of the new Renault, however, it was Ghosn himself who moved to quell the rumour: “As long as we continue to perform well, we offer a good show, and obviously we are at the top level of Formula One, then there are no questions about the future in Formula One.” he said.
There was a disclaimer thrown in, however: “Obviously, there is some uncertainty about the conditions in which Formula One will evolve beginning in 2008. This is not a preoccupation of Renault alone, it is a preoccupation for all manufacturers trying to figure out what will be the environment of Formula One.”
But then again made sure to get his intentions across saying that “…if I eliminate this uncertainty, if I consider that we are going to come to a good resolution of the questions we have, and that Formula One will continue to have a good, fair return on investments for car manufacturers in general and for the winner in particular, then we must be there. In the meantime, I am counting on the Renault F1 Team, on the team we have in Enstone and the people in Viry-Châtillon to really perform well, to offer us a good show and hopefully bring back the trophy again in 2006.”
This is encouraging but, considering that sponsors must be wooed and kept, merchandise must be sold to fans and the team must remain motivated, he can hardly announce any intentions they may have to leave the sport by a certain time very far in advance. Tell us what you think by replying to this article.
Edu de Jager
DailyF1News.com
