Renault Sport F1 team principal Frederic Vasseur was happy with the pace seen at the Hungaroring by his team, although he was disappointed to see Jolyon Palmer’s chance of his first point in Formula 1 disappear with a spin.
Palmer spun while running in tenth having completed his pit stop cycle, but Vasseur praised his driving, especially after the Briton missed most of Friday’s running due to a fuel pressure issue on his RS16.
Vasseur believes both Palmer and team-mate Kevin Magnussen should still be targeting points later in the season despite the team now focused on the development of their 2017 challenger rather than the RS16 of 2016.
“That was a strong race for us and illustrates the progress being made,” said Vasseur. “It’s no secret that our primary focus has moved to next year’s car but we still have good potential to score in 2016.
“Both drivers did a very good job, but Jolyon’s performance was particularly notable after missing most of Friday’s running. His spin was unfortunate, especially as his first Formula 1 points were there for the taking.
“Overall the team and both drivers have worked very well this weekend and made a great recovery from the back of the grid in a race where there was only one retirement. We hope to continue this trajectory in Hockenheim.”
