F1 season is no write-off for Renault

By Alan Baldwin MONACO (Reuters) - Renault have a long-term plan for Formula One and will not write off the current season even if unhappy partners Red Bull have already done so, according to the French manufacturer's F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul. "It would never be a write off," he told Reuters ahead of Sunday's showcase Monaco Grand Prix. "We are changing the organisation. There are a lot of changes happening at the factory in terms of people and processes and equipment...we are constantly progressing and learning. "So that is happening and it is not a write off. That will be useful for next year." Abiteboul likened the increasingly fractious partnership with Red Bull to the rise and fall of an empire and made clear Renault could not put performance before reliability. Red Bull won three races last year, after four successive drivers' and constructors' titles with Renault before that, but have not been close to the podium so far in 2015 with champions Mercedes again dominant. There have been questions asked about both sides' commitment to the sport, with Renault suffering damage to their reputation while Red Bull have suggested they could quit if they do not have a competitive engine. There has also been talk of Renault buying a team or having closer marketing ties with Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso to raise their profile. "Some people started to comment that maybe we should buy Toro Rosso or things like this and some other team principals have said we were looking at some things," said Abiteboul. "Honestly, our plans right now are to stick with what we are. We are an engine supplier and we have to do a better job on the technical side. "We have had our difficulties, that’s what we need to focus on. Then if we are capable of doing that we will see if there are any marketing opportunities." Abiteboul said Formula One was important to Renault and senior management understood the technical difficulties which could also be seen in a positive light. "We are here in Formula One for the marketing and for me there is a fantastic marketing story to tell about our difficulties," he suggested. "This is Renault, the resilience of Renault struggling but not surrendering and being capable of fighting back in the next few races or years -- because that’s the long-term plan again --it is a great story to tell from a marketing perspective." He cited also the example of 17-year-old Max Verstappen, who was second fastest in Thursday practice in Monaco with Renault-powered Toro Rosso, as a positive example. "I think anyone that has been long enough in the sport should never expect to win every single year because that means it’s not a sport any more and just boring for everyone," he said. "What people would expect is that we are part of a show and we are part of the show. We are P2 (second) in practice with a young boy that has never driven a car here before. "We are ticking the boxes of the top management of Renault in that respect. The long term marketing strategy remains to be built and that is what we are building." The boss hoped relations were also now improving with Red Bull after negative comments from principal Christian Horner about the V6 hybrid power unit. "It’s not just the engine, it’s the whole package that needs to be better," he said. "There's no point needling. We need to just do a better job together and give ourselves a little bit of time and confidence that we can deal with the situation." Abiteboul said Renault would like to push development but there were limits to what was possible. "There has to be a structured and logical approach to what we are doing. So indeed it might mean we are not exactly aligned," he said. "Issues of reliability and the shortfall that we have in performance are more or less coming from the same place," added the Frenchman. "When we have understood our reliability issues perfectly well, I’m pretty convinced that we will also be holding the key of more performance for the power unit." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)