Cyril Abiteboul: F1’s future dependent on 2021 budget and financial caps

Cyril Abiteboul is often in the news for his interesting observations and takes on the pinnacle of motor-racing. Of late, he’s been in the news for leading a side that, with drivers like Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, is trying to demonstrate flair and grit in the pinnacle of motor-racing.

Driven, determined and making no bones about his feelings on the world’s fastest sport, Cyril Abiteboul also keenly notes the developments on the top spectrum of Formula 1.

That said, the 2019 Australian Grand Prix wasn’t a bad way to start for his team. Even as Daniel Ricciardo, now Renault bound failed to score, Nico Hulkenberg, the more experienced man at the French racing team drew home useful points.

Cyril, eager to have both the drivers do their best in the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, has now shared his perspective about the future of F1.

And to that end, he feels that a lot about F1’s future rests on the 2021 financials and cost-cutting measures.

Apparently, all the F1 teams are to be presented with a clear direction in terms of the technical changes that are going to be introduced in 2021. Like all sports that are growing in popularity and fan-base, F1 too is trying to find measures and ideas in its surge to appeal to a globetrotting audience, a part of which it is wonderfully catering to and a part it still can.

To that end, Cyril Abiteboul, an important leader of one of the oldest outfits in the sport had the following observations with regards to F1’s future and that of his team:

“As far as Renault is concerned, because we think that something needs to be seriously done to contain the costs to be competitive in F1, we are massively in support of the budget cap,” the Renault F1 boss told Motorsport.com.

“Is it the perfect answer? Maybe not. Is it the best answer? Probably.

“That’s why we’re working very actively to make it as robust as possible, and according to what will be our assessment at the end, we will see if we can be in favor, and we think it is a proper deterrent, or not.”

He continued, “I think we all accept that everyone needs to have some form of clarity before the summer.

“In order to do that we need to seriously get things ticked off, in particular on the financial side, on the governance.

“For me the three things that can’t wait are the financial distribution, the governance, and the budget cap – anything that’s related to the business, and the sustainability of the business model is important, because that’s what will define whether or not F1 is still a compelling and attractive platform for 2021.”

In conclusion, the Frenchman mused, “I think it’s complex. They trying to reconcile teams that have different business models, very distinctive set-ups,” he conceded.

“Right now it looks like they are not prepared to upset anyone. The risk and danger is that by doing that they end up upsetting everyone.

“That’s why I think it’s taking a lot of time to find something that would be able to satisfy everyone.

“I can see where they’re coming from, I can understand their point. But I think the main thing to do is to make sure that F1 is and remains attractive.

“Right now it looks like they are afraid of losing one team, two teams, three teams.

“I think what’s really important is instead of having to live in fear we make F1 a platform that is again attractive enough to attract enough teams, so that you are not held to ransom by anyone.”

The above told, what do you think is the future of one of the world’s most enigmatic sports and what is going to happen?