Renault Formula 1 boss Cyril Abiteboul has said the team are prepared to power a fourth outfit for 2018, should a team be looking for a new supplier.
As the French manufacturer continues to grow its team after the takeover of the Enstone base, formerly under the Lotus guise, Renault claims they are capable of powering four teams once again.
Abiteboul told Motorsport.com: “We’ve had the capacity to do four teams in the past. It’s sometimes been very successful, at the end of the V8 era. It’s been sometimes very difficult and painful, at the start of the V6 era.
“It’s been sometimes very difficult and painful, at the start of the V6 era.
“I think we are now getting back to a position where we could seriously consider a fourth customer. Reliability will be under control later in this season, and much further next year.
“It all comes down to reliability, in terms of staff, in terms of manufacturing capacity. Because we don’t manufacture it means that it’s a burden that we are transferring to our suppliers, and we are capable of scaling up and down our supplier customer base.
“With fewer engines next year, it’s three per driver next season, it makes things even easier to do that. I’m not making a statement that yes, we’d be happy to, but are we capable of supplying four teams? Yes we are.”
While admitting that the French marque does not have the best power unit in the field, Abiteboul is confident of the equality across the fleet of power units they supply is fair and equal.
“Frankly I think we have demonstrated that we are capable of accommodating any customer, from the most demanding to Caterham, in the past.
“I think we are good at scaling down the way we are servicing our customer, and I think it’s very well recognised that we have an equity of treatment.
“We may not be the best engine out there, but at least the way that we are treating our customers is the best in the history of F1, and it is still today.”
