Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul says Daniel Ricciardo has confirmed he will take a voluntary pay cut🌃 during the coronavirus crisis to help his team, but the team boss accepts the delays to the 2020 Formula 1 season have made it harder to nail🥃 down his long-term future.

The Australian driver and teammate Esteban Ocon have joined senior ma🎀nagement figures at Renault in taking a pay cut to help balance the team’s finances during the ongoing period without F1 races as the sport shuts down amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last Friday, Renault announced the ♎“vast majority” of its F1 staff have been placed into furlough at its Enstone base w♊ith Abiteboul explaining the cost-cutting measures have been taken to protect the entire Renaul𝓰t F1 operation.

T👍hat includes Ricciardo taking a pay cut from his current Renault contract.

“It’s a discussion we’ve already had. Daniel has al🌳ready confirmed he is willing...I can confirm to you that he will reduce it,” Abiteboul told . ✤“The problem would have been if he had not accepted the idea.

ꩲ“We still have to fix the terms but, in principle, I can reassure the Renault group management committee; I do not fear it will destabilise the F1 programme.”

Despite♚ the backing from his drivers Abiteboul concedes with the delayed start to the 2020 F1 season the team is “blind” in making long-term decisions on key matters like driver contracts, including the future of Ricciardo whose existing deal expires at the end of this season.

The Australian💜 driver has made it clear he wants to find a package capable of fighting for F1 world titles and💞 is keen to assess all his options for 2021.

“In a normal season, we would have started work on the 💎m🎶atter,” Abiteboul explained. “We would have evaluated Daniel’s performance over the first four races and started or not the first discussions.

“We haven’t turned a wheel. We are blind but have to plan. We may have to take🧸 decisions without the season starting.🅺”

Current💛ly, only four drivers have F1 contracts beyond the end of 2020▨; Sergio Perez at Racing Point, Esteban Ocon at Renault, Charles Leclerc at Ferrari and Max Verstappen at Red Bull.