Abiteboul has been replaced at Renault

Renault have announced that F1 Team Principle Cyril Abiteboul is leaving the company ahead of the teams relaunch as Alpine this year.
Abiteboul is being replaced by Laurent Rossi, the Director if Strategy and Business Development of Group Renault, who will now become the CEO of Alpine moving forward. 

“I would like to thank the Groupe Renault for having trusted me for many years, particularly with the relaunch and reconstruction of the team since 2016,” said Abiteboul.
“The solid foundations of the racing team and the entities in France and England built over these years, the strategic evolution of the sport towards a more economically sustainable model, and more recently the Alpine project which provides a renewed sense of meaning and dynamism, all point to a very fine trajectory.
“I would like to thank Luca de Meo for involving me in the construction of the Alpine Business Unit and I wish the new structure every success.”
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De Meo added: “I would like to warmly thank Cyril for his tireless involvement, which notably led the Renault F1 Team from the penultimate place in 2016 to the podiums last season.
“His remarkable work in F1 since 2007 allows us to look to the future, with a strong team and the new Alpine F1 Team identity to conquer the podiums this year.”

Renault finished 5th in the Constructors Championship last year, but with Daniel Ricciardo having left for McLaren, the team have replaced him with Fernando Alonzo in the hope that the World Champion will be able to secure them a higher position.