Groupe Renault has announced that Cyril Abiteboul has departed the company with immediate effect.
Abiteboul has spent almost two decades affiliated with Renault, along with a spell as Caterham’s Formula 1 boss, and fronted the marque’s return to the championship in 2016.
Renault announced in September 2020 that its Formula 1 team would be rebranded as Alpine from 2021.
Abiteboul was expected to stay on with the rebranded outfit, potentially in a non-F1 position, but on Monday Groupe Renault announced his exit with immediate effect.
Laurent Rossi, who re-joined Renault in 2018 as its Director of Strategy and Business Development, has been appointed to the role of CEO of the Alpine brand and will report to Groupe Renault CEO Luca de Meo.
It is expected that current Executive Director Marcin Budkowski will take Abiteboul’s role as Alpine’s Formula 1 Team Principal while ex-Suzuki chief Davide Brivio is tipped to join in a senior position.
“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.”
Groupe Renault is set to unveil its new strategic plan, titled ‘Renaulution’, on Thursday morning.
