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[alpiner]

Ghosn: I won't interfere in Renault F1 driver choices

Renault chairman Carlos Ghosn insists he will not interfere with future driver choices at the French car manufacturer's Formula 1 team, as it bids to plot its way back to the front of the grid.

Ghosn had the final say about whether or not Renault would commit to a new works era in F1, and in the end gave approval for the takeover of Lotus and a long-term financial commitment for success.

But although acknowledging that getting the best drivers is a key part of what Renault needs to do, Ghosn has made it clear that he will stand back from getting involved in that aspect.

"I don't choose the pilots [drivers]," he said. "One of the conditions I want to say is that I want the head of the F1 team to be accountable for the results.

"If I want him to be accountable for results, then I need him to choose the technology, and choose the pilots etc.

"At the end of the day, I don't want to him say 'I couldn't do it because you chose the pilots'. He chooses everything he needs, and what he needs to commit to to be competitive. That is what I am asking."

Long-term vision

Although a three-year target of podium finishes may appear to show patience from Ghosn's side, he thinks the timeframe is spot on.

For rather than wanting quick fire results, he would rather wait for greater consistency of performance longer term.

"One of the reasons we are taking the time to establish ourselves is we want the results to be solid," he said. "It means every step forward followed by another step forward, not two steps backwards.

"That is why I am giving them the time in order to build a very strong team, with strong technology, a strong engine, a strong car with good drivers –we want sustainable [performance].

"We are talking about a strong marketing push where our offensive is going to take many years, so it is not about making the car work one year and then fall back. It is about always being competitive."

Mercedes era will end

Ghosn also has no concerns about Renault not being able to eventually knock Mercedes off the top of F1.

"Three years ago, Red Bull was dominant for five years, and people said 'oh my god what is going to happen?' Change comes.

"You will continue to have changes. At the end of the day it is about technology, it is about people, drivers, coaches, technicians – so don't expect anything to be forever.

"There is a beginning and an end for everything and we will be very happy to participate in this uncertainty about victories in F1."

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[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Marco Sorensen says he quit F1's Enstone team in protest of the status of female development driver Carmen Jorda.

Jorda, a former GP3 driver, was controversially appointed by Lotus last year, but it surprised many when it emerged she has kept the role for 2016 in the wake of the Renault takeover.

For Danish driver Marco Sorensen, whose test role at Lotus was reportedly linked with the now-departed sponsor Saxo Bank, he claims that his departure was actually because of 27-year-old Jorda.

"She was 12 seconds slower than me in the simulator," Sorensen is quoted as saying by the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. "Still, she ran away with all the rewards.

"For the past two years I have spent at least 60 days in the simulator, which is about the same as Kevin (Magnussen) at McLaren. So I felt violated to the point that it finally became too much and I had to stop," he added.

However, Sorensen insists he has no hard feelings that his countryman Magnussen has leapt straight into the Renault race seat.

"I could not come up with 50 million kroner ($7.5 million), which I've heard is the starting amount if you want to buy a formula one seat," he said.

Sorensen now races for Aston Martin in the world endurance championship.

As for countryman Magnussen's forthcoming teammate battle with Jolyon Palmer this year, Sorensen predicted: "It will be close, but I think Kevin has more talent than Palmer." 

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Carmen Jorda has hit back at a former F1 colleague, following an accusation that her presence at Renault caused him to quit the sport.

Marco Sorensen, recently a test driver at the Enstone based team, told Ekstra Bladet newspaper this week that he felt "violated" because Jorda, a female team development driver, was getting "all the rewards".

"She was 12 seconds slower than me in the simulator," said the Dane.

Hitting back at Sorensen's claims, however, Jorda told the Spanish sports daily Marca: "I cannot understand it because I never even saw him there (at Lotus).

"I was training in the simulator with the official drivers, Grosjean and Maldonado, and Palmer," she added. "On many occasions I was less than one second below them, so I do not know on what basis he speaks."

As for Sorensen's claim that Jorda prompted him to quit F1, the 27-year-old responded: "I have not taken the position of anyone. I do my job and it was Renault who selected me and not him, the same for many others.

"As for the 12 seconds (claim), anyone who knows cars would not be that far away in a simulator, so imagine how it is for a professional driver," added Jorda.

Jorda also commented to the sports daily AS, saying of Sorensen: "I honestly don't know who he is, I've never seen him at Enstone and he was not part of the team last year."

She also continued to ridicule Sorensen's claim that he lapped 12 seconds quicker than Jorda in the driver simulator.

"I was a second or less from Grosjean, so I think if someone was eleven seconds faster than Romain, I am sure every team on the grid would want him."

Finally, Jordan added: "I would like him to focus on his career -- it's not right for someone to have to refer to others, like me, to show their achievements."

However, the war of words doesn't stop there, as the Danish newspaper BT contacted Sorensen to ask him what he thought of Jorda's reply.

"If Carmen Jorda feels that she is good enough to be in formula one, then long live the sport. You just need to look at her results, so it's good that people can figure out who has talent and who does not." 

 

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Adam Cooper ‏@adamcooperF1

Confirmation that Renault third driver @OconEsteban will be a Mercedes DTM race driver this year