Cyril Abiteboul becomes director of Caterham F1
It had become very likely since the announcement of Tony Fernandes' withdrawal as director of Caterham F1: the team has just confirmed that Cyril Abiteboul will now take on this role, in addition to his current position as CEO.
The Frenchman Cyril Abiteboul joined the Caterham group last September when he was appointed CEO of the Caterham F1 Team while retaining his position as deputy director at Renault Sport F1 until the end of 2012.
Tony Fernandes explained his withdrawal: « Launching our partnership with Renault on Monday allowed us to realize the automotive plan we put in place with Kamarudin three years ago. The strategy for the establishment and growth of the Caterham Group has now reached the stage where we can withdraw from the day-to-day management of the F1 team in favor of Cyril, who will be able to fully dedicate himself to this role and work closely with Riad to achieve the next stage in the growth of our automotive interests. »
With the umbrella brand Caterham, a true diversified group logic in the automobile and other industrial sectors is being implemented by the Malaysian businessman and his partners. Indeed, this group, led by Riad Asmat, comprises four distinct structures: the F1 team, the road vehicle manufacturer Caterham Cars, as well as Caterham Technology and Caterham Composites.
The team of leaders is now complete to move forward: We have taken the Caterham group from nothing just three years ago to today, where Caterham Cars has the platform with Renault to move from a niche brand to an innovative participant in the global automotive market. Caterham Technology is also part of the partnership with Renault, working with Renault on the design and development of our road cars but also with a number of other companies, including Airbus. They have quickly gained recognition as a major player in terms of technology and innovation. Caterham Composites is also in very good health, working with CTI on the Airbus project and on other cutting-edge programs that will soon come to fruition. In summary, Riad now leads a group of businesses that place the Caterham name at the forefront of innovation and technology fields across a wide variety of industries.
Cyril Abiteboul thus becomes the second French team director, after Eric Boullier, who is at the helm of Lotus. His objective will therefore be to do everything possible to reclaim the valuable tenth place in the Constructors’ World Championship in order to finance his ambition of moving towards the mid-field.
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
