He’s finally done it. Cyril Abiteboul has an FIA world championship event victory etched onto his CV.
Given how prominent he was during his time in Formula 1, it’s easy to forget that Abiteboul was never at the helm of a team that took victory at world championship level.
In fact, his best F1 results came in 2020 when Daniel Ricciardo secured two podium finishes with a pair of thirds in the 2020 Eifel and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix.
But Thierry Neuville corrected that winless streak in Sardinia, gifting Abiteboul his first FIA world championship event victory as a team principal.
And Abiteboul joked that it’s nice he’s found a place where he can gain some success.
“I have to say that I never won in Formula 1 so I am glad I found some place where I could win,” said Abiteboul.
“Jokes apart, it has been great and very much deserved by the team. It has been close on occasions before.
“We have been very consistently on podiums before this season, but clearly there was a trend.
“And I think we cannot deny there was a trend that Toyota was starting to chip away from us in the different championships.
“So clearly that win and this team result is important to the championship, but not just to the championship but to the whole dynamics.”
It’s easy to sit and laugh along with Abiteboul’s jokes, but there’s no doubt there’s a hint of seriousness to it as well.
No competitor likes losing, no competitor likes missing out on the top spot. Winning is the very reason for being there.
And with Hyundai securing its first win and a 1-2 to go with it on the board, it will not only have given Abiteboul the evidence and the self-belief that he can lead the team to glory, but it also provides reassurances to the Hyundai board above.
Abiteboul is slowly molding Hyundai into the team it needs to be, as is evident by the recent signing of François-Xavier Demaison as technical director and the signs are showing it’s going in the right direction.
And it’s that change in dynamic Abiteboul believes is beginning to make the difference.
“It is not just mental,” he said. “It is also brain and heart and confidence.
“And, you know, this has been changing a little bit things. Changing the dynamic in particular before another tough one, which will be Kenya, is extremely important.”
