Renault as fast as McLaren, says Abiteboul
Renault Formula 1 boss Cyril Abiteboul says his team was as fast as rival McLaren in the French Grand Prix, despite losing out to the Woking squad.

At Paul Ricard, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz qualified fifth and sixth, while Renault's Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg started eighth and 13th, the latter handicapped by a technical issue in Q2.
In the race, Sainz won the battle between the two teams by finishing sixth, while Ricciardo was the best-placed Renault driver in seventh until penalties for last lap incidents bumped him out of the points.
Read Also:
Abiteboul stressed that his team lost the battle with McLaren in qualifying and was potentially faster in race trim.
"It's an OK result, being in the points is good, but we are targeting more points than that," Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.
"We've seen that we are just as quick if not quicker than McLaren when not held back, but obviously McLaren was so much faster in qualifying, and that's what matters the most in current F1.
"On different compounds and on the longer runs we are much more competitive against them and the rest of the field. That's going to be the focus in Austria, where probably it's going to be extremely hot, and we know the track can be extremely damaging for the tyres."
Abiteboul expects to see an ongoing fight with Renault's customer team.
"McLaren is a good brand, they are a car maker, which matters to us. They are our partner and customer team, so their success is also coming from our contribution. That's good and positive, and it's also showing on the chassis side what's possible.
"Having said that we are not miles away, and we were much faster than them in Montreal. What I expect is to see an interesting battle with McLaren for the remainder of the season.
"They are ahead, only the points matter, only the Sunday result matters. We put ourselves after qualifying, looking at the qualifying, but looking at the race, it's much more on par.
"But again the only thing that matters in modern F1 is firstly the points and secondly the qualifying, because it's so difficult to overtake, either because of the aerodynamics or the current stance of the FIA on these things."
Abiteboul admitted that it was not clear whether the upgrades brought to France had achieved their target, with the next batch due for Silverstone.
"We need to investigate a bit more, some of them definitely paid out. I have to accept that we didn't bring all that was planned, some of the upgrades have been delayed, some of the upgrades are not totally clear cut and need further analysis, probably at a track where it's more straightforward.
"The behaviour of the soft compound was confusing any sort of analysis over the weekend."

Previous article
Silverstone could host 2020 in-season F1 test
Next article
Promoted: Inspiring the next generation of female engineers

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Teams | McLaren , Renault F1 Team |
Author | Adam Cooper |
Renault as fast as McLaren, says Abiteboul
Trending
Scuderia Ferrari Filming Day Backstage Footage
Back to Work | Valtteri Bottas' 2021 Seat Fit
F1 Explained | Mercedes Power Unit
How McLaren F1’s new investors have already made an impact
The deal McLaren concluded with MSP Sports Capital last year which will help the cash-strapped Formula 1 team pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades, also points toward the future for F1 itself, says GP Racing's Stuart Codling.
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.