Marcin Budkowski will become the executive director of Renault

For several weeks, the paddock had been buzzing with rumors that Marcin Budkowski was going to join Enstone in a high-level position of responsibility. This heightened media interest and angered the rest of the teams because the Pole is not an engineer like the others. Until recently, he held the position of technical director at the FIA.

In this top-tier role, he was the point of contact for all teams on all aspects related to the technology of the single-seaters. If the teams confided in him, it was because the Federation played its role of confidentiality, essential in such a competitive environment, since all teams consult it to validate the legality of the new developments undertaken on their single-seaters.

The departure from the Federation to join a team is a practice that has already been seen in the past. The point of contention is the cooling-off period the engineer benefits from: Swiss legislation, in fact, only imposes a maximum period of three months, which means that Marcin Budkowski would be able to share his knowledge with his new employer as early as this winter, thereby providing them with a significant advantage over the competition.

To avoid causing turmoil in the paddock, Renault might demonstrate goodwill by allowing their new manager to start only in April, once the new season has begun. In the official statement announcing the news, Cyril Abiteboul makes no mention of the start date for the new Executive Director. It was evident that the management structure of Renault Sport Racing also needed strengthening. Marcin’s mission will be to continue the development of Enstone to enable Renault to join the leading teams by 2020, relying on personalities whose skills are beyond doubt, such as Bob Bell, Nick Chester, and Rob White. This arrival is excellent news and further proof of our determination to successfully carry out our project.

In any case, it is planned that the issue will be discussed at the next Strategic Group meeting, which will take place on November 7, so that the Federation can take the necessary measures to restore the full trust of all teams in its employees.

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr