Fred Vasseur has resigned as Renault Sport Formula 1 Team team principal ahead of the beginning of the 2017 Formula 1 season.
The Frenchman had great success as head of ART Grand Prix in the junior categories. He then joined Renault, when they confirmed their return to the championship as a manufacturer team, taking over Lotus F1 Team. Vasseur worked with managing director Cyril Abiteboul to restructure and recruitment, helping the team to move forward in the long run.
In July last year, the team tweaked their management structure. This saw Vasseur being upgraded to team principal of the Enstone based outfit. Abiteboul moved to a factory role at Enstone to help guide the operation. It is understood that Vasseur had a different opinion about the direction the outfit needed to take than the senior management figures. He felt it would be better if he resigns from his role as team principal.
“After a first season spent relaunching and rebuilding its Formula 1 team, Renault Sport Racing and Frederic Vasseur have agreed by mutual consent to part company, effective as of today,” a statement said.
“Both parties remain committed to maintaining the good working relationship they have enjoyed and expect this to take a new form sometime in the future.”
