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Bob Bell has stepped down from his role as managing director of the Renault Formula 1 team, and will be replaced by Eric Boullier - who will add the managing director title to his current position as team principal.

Bell has worked in F1 since 1982, and joined Renault during its Benetton era in 1997. He briefly moved to Jordan, before returning to Renault to become technical director from 2002.

Following the departures of Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds in the wake of the race-fixing scandal last season, Bell was appointed as stand-in team principal until Boullier's arrival at the start of this year.

Team chairman Gerard Lopez paid tribute to Bell's achievements with Renault.

"We would like to thank Bob Bell for his contribution to the performance of the team and for helping see us through a period of transition since Genii Capital became a shareholder in the Renault F1 team," Lopez said.

"We are entrusting the post of managing director to Eric Boullier and we have every confidence that, under his leadership, we will achieve our racing objectives.

"Throughout the 2010 season, we have been assessing what is required to continue improving our level of competitiveness and we believe we are well positioned for the challenges ahead."

Boullier added that he was confident about handling his newly enhanced role.

"Since the beginning of the season, the Renault F1 team has demonstrated its ability to react to a need for change," he said.

"The results of the tremendous efforts made have been immediately apparent on the race track. Today, we have a competitive car and an incredibly motivated team.

"I am proud of the trust being placed in me to continue this good work, and I will make every effort to ensure the Renault F1 team returns to the front of the grid as soon as possible."