Cyril Abiteboul insists Renault are “not afraid” of new customer McLaren as they believe that in time they will have the ability to beat anyone.

Next season McLaren will race Renault engines along with the works team and Red Bull Racing.

And while Abiteboul acknowledges that there were concerns for some within the team in taking on McLaren, he believes it will only help the French manufacturer more forward.

“There were some concerns, so it was important to explain also to everyone, including internally, including Enstone, that the philosophy is not changing,” the Renault MD told Autosport.

“We are not turning our backs to the fact that the only purpose of our F1 programme is to position the Renault factory team at the highest level.