Abitebul praised Sainz and Alonso

Cyril Abiteboul led the Renault works team in Formula 1 for a long time, but left this post at the beginning of 2021 and is now responsible for the motorsport programs of the Korean company Hyundai, which runs its rally team, which is very successful in the World Rally Championship.

“There are many differences between rally and Formula 1, but I’m not going to make comparisons because they are different racing categories,” Abiteboul said in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS. – Both are motorsport disciplines, but in Formula 1 you try to keep everything under control, while in rally there are many factors that are basically uncontrollable.

The interaction between team members and riders is structured differently here. I spent 15 years in Formula 1 and wanted to keep working there, but when my career changed, rally was the perfect choice.

From the outside it seems that the atmosphere in Formula 1 is not the most jovial, but that is not the case. It’s one big family, but so is the rally world. Here, too, there is an irreconcilable rivalry, exciting battles take place, but at the same time a very good family atmosphere is felt.

Abitebul also spoke highly of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, whom he knows from Formula 1: “Both are very passionate about their work, both are excellent professionals, they are distinguished by high discipline and the ability to act very intelligently on the track .

At the same time, they both have a hot southern character, and I get along well with such people. In Carlos I was once impressed by the attention to all the nuances. He is especially well versed in the chassis of the car, and it is quite possible to compare him with a certified engineer. Since making his F1 debut with Toro Rosso, Sainz has been very effective in helping his teams fine-tune their cars.

Fernando needs no introduction at all. Professionally he is probably the most versatile driver in the world and I am delighted to see him excel in F1 again.”