F1: Renault team principal Vasseur leaves team

Renault team principal Frederic Vasseur has left his role at the French manufacturer with immediate effect.

Vasseur was brought in by Renault when it returned to Formula 1 at the start of the 2016 season, initially in the role of racing director. With a number of senior personnel in place at Enstone, Vasseur's title was changed to team principal in July of last year as part of a management restructuring.

That restructuring saw managing director Cyril Abiteboul's role become more UK-focused as he oversaw development of the team at its Enstone headquarters, but the setup proved unsuccessful as Vasseur has now opted to leave the team.

"Both parties remain committed to maintaining the good working relationship they have enjoyed and expect this to take a new form sometime in the future," a Renault statement read on Wednesday.

"The outlook of Renault's second season back in Formula 1, as well as the resources implemented to meet them, will be set out in detail at the presentation of the team's new race car.

"The Renault Sport Racing and the Formula 1 team continue to be managed by Jérôme Stoll, its President, and Cyril Abiteboul, its Managing Director."

Renault will launch its 2017 car on February 21, with the new chassis set to be the first designed around the French power unit since the manufacturer's return. Last year's car had originally been designed around the Mercedes power unit that Lotus ran in 2015.

The departure of Vasseur comes just one day after Mercedes confirmed executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe will leave the defending champions. Lowe is expected to take up a senior position at Williams, while Mercedes is targeting former Renault technical director James Allison as his replacement.