Renault out of f1?

[413x]

I wouldn't be surprised.
It's a bit off if you're going to be making loads of staff redundant in your road car business to keep an F1 team going

They also have no engine partners, and aren't doing that well.

As a Renault supporter I'd be sad to see them go, but they haven't done that well for years. Times are tough.

Id be surprised if they stay

 

[this_is_gav]

Renault have always come and gone as they please, as both manufacturers and engine suppliers. Just in the last few decades they came, left as a constructor then left as an engine supplier then came back as an engine supplier, left again, then bought a team, left again and returned a few years later.

To be fair, similar could be said of other such manufacturers (Honda being the most recently comparable, and presumably also at risk of pulling out as an engine supplier).

As you've said though, it's hard to justify spending hundreds of millions on running a F1 team if thousands of workers are being laid off. Even with the upcoming budget cap (which might be the only reason to stay) they'd need significant sponsorship to continue justifying the team, and sponsors are hardly going to be queuing up during a global recession.

McLaren are laying off a thousand workers too, but their business and clientele are very different.

 

[englishpremier]

Once F1 is successful again, they ought to have a 5 or 10 year rule. You can't come back into the sport as a team owner or engine supplier for a X amount of time after leaving.

 

[413x]

This is crazy.

Apparently Renault ar making huge huge job cuts(15k) but staying in f1?

Surely, only way they can justify this is if its profitable?

 

[chrismscotland]

This is crazy.

Apparently Renault ar making huge huge job cuts(15k) but staying in f1?

Surely, only way they can justify this is if its profitable?

Its massive exposure for them I guess although I've never really understood how F1 really does as much for Renault as it does for Mercedes, Ferrari, etc who sell actual sports cars.
Do they really sell more Renault Clio's because of the success or exposure of the F1 team?....

 

[413x]

Its massive exposure for them I guess although I've never really understood how F1 really does as much for Renault as it does for Mercedes, Ferrari, etc who sell actual sports cars.
Do they really sell more Renault Clio's because of the success or exposure of the F1 team?....

I wonder if its more for sponsorship? Maybe the team makes enough to cover costs on purely that?

Yeah. I've never looked at the f1 team and gone.. Wow. That translates to how good the zoé will be.

But I guess we don't have the detail.

If it's not pure profit, gonna be some upset over it.

 

[chrismscotland]

I wonder if its more for sponsorship? Maybe the team makes enough to cover costs on purely that?

Yeah. I've never looked at the f1 team and gone.. Wow. That translates to how good the zoé will be.

But I guess we don't have the detail.

If it's not pure profit, gonna be some upset over it.

True, in the old days they did do more RenaultSport version of cars which were good (Clio, Megane mainly) but its been years since - as you say its possibly that sponsorship and even selling engines is making a fair amount for the team; although its not clear if they'll have a second engine team next year when McLaren go back to Mercedes

 

[this_is_gav]

I presume the budget cap helps a lot, though that excludes the salaries of drivers and select upper management. With them not (currently) having any PU customers lined up for 2021 that must hurt as well.

I'm a bit surprised they're staying around, but as a fan I'm certainly not going to complain.

 

[Ryan-3]

I suppose the argument would also cover Peugeot during their last Le Mans years. Earlier motorsport like Group B and Dakar used cars that resembled what was in the showrooms, whereas LMP didn't. I can only imagine that it is either a profitable outfit, or in the short term a less costly measure to continue with respect to any current deals they might have.