Abiteboul was previously deputy managing director of Renault Sport F1 and has spent 11 years with the French car manufacturer. Renault provide Caterham's engines. Fernandes announced earlier in the week, after presenting a joint venture between his Caterham group and Renault to revive the Alpine sportscar brand, that he would be handing over his F1 duties. He said on Thursday that the move would allow him to focus on his AirAsia airline while Caterham Group chief executive Riad Asmat would oversee the automotove side. Fernandes, who is stepping down as CEO of the Malaysian-listed airline to focus on regional growth with its Indonesian operation, will remain as co-chairman of Caterham Group with Kamarudin Meranun.