09/02/2006
NEWS STORY
 |
Speaking at a press conference today, in which he outlined his company's plans for the future, both as a road car manufacturer and Formula One team, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn revealed that the French outfit's involvement in the sport will be decided on a year-by-year basis.
"As long as it's in Renault's interests to be in F1, we'll be there," he said, echoing the sentiment he expressed at the recent launch of the team's 2006 contender.
However, he then revealed: "We're going to see how things go year by year. We'll look at the situation in 2007, then 2008, and again in 2009."
This failure to commit will surely give strength to (FIA President) Max Mosley's claim that the manufacturers are not committed to the sport in the long-term, and that therefore it is the teams which should be encouraged and should financially benefit from the revenue generated.
It's believed that Renault's failure to commit to long-term involvement was one of the deciding factors in Fernando Alonso's decision to join McLaren for 2007, though he denies this.
Also, the loss of (sponsor) Mild Seven at the end of the current season means that the team will need to seek alternative revenue streams in order to maintain its F1 programme.
That said, for the first time, Renault is aiming to use its on-track success in order to market its road cars, while initial test results suggest that the French team could be the pace-setter this season.