23/03/2017
NEWS STORY
At a time Eric Boullier claims that Honda does not have an F1 mind-set, and many are speculating as to just how long the McLaren-Honda marriage can continue, feeling a certain amount of deja vu, Renault F1 Managing Director, Cyril Abiteboul, can sympathise.
Not only has Renault had its own issues since the introduction of the new formula in 2014, for that particular season he was in charge at the ill-fated Caterham team.
"I feel extremely sympathetic of what Honda is going through, including their relationship with McLaren," he said, according to Autosport. "It reminds me of something that I myself have experienced.
"McLaren needs to stay steady, and Honda needs to remain focused," he continued. "They have to go through this, and I am sure they have the financial resources and the talent to do so.
"I am not feeling safe at all, even if I watch Honda, frankly," he admitted.
Following a difficult start to the new formula Renault came back and helped Red Bull to three wins in 2014. The following season was another matter entirely, the Austrian team almost quitting in the sport as it found an alternative engine supplier.
In 2016, Renault made a remarkable come-back, and while only scoring two wins, in partnership with Red Bull it leapfrogged Ferrari in the team standings.
Based on experience, Abiteboul believes Honda's situation is not helped by the fact it only supplies one team.
"It is a risk analysis," he said, "but it is also exploring all the potential failures that could arise and can always happen based on all the information that we have available. Having three teams, it is only helping. Logistically it is an extra challenge, because when you have difficulty and you need to control the pool of parts, you need to do that for three teams. But, I think it would have been better for Honda. It would accelerate Honda's resolution of the current issues, if they had other customers.
"But that is up to McLaren and Honda to sort it out," he added.
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