Fred Vasseur believes the point achieved by Kevin Magnussen in the Singapore Grand Prix meant a lot to the whole Renault Sport F1 team both at Enstone and Viry, especially after the mostly disappointing season the team have endured in 2016.
The Renault team boss praised Magnussen for his efforts in Singapore, and although team-mate Jolyon Palmer had a far tougher race, he had some positive things to say about the Brit as well.
“We scored a point, which meant much more than a single digit to all at Viry and at Enstone and for sure it is a lift for all in the team,” said Vasseur. “The motivation is always there, but it’s that much more rewarding when the outcome of a race weekend is positive.
“This has been a long and hard season so far and we’re all at the start of a long journey so a positive result is warmly welcomed.
“In Singapore we saw Kevin run a great race and Jolyon had quite a challenge through circumstances out of his control. We know how hard both drivers are pushing and we’re equally pushing as hard as possible to give them the best opportunity to deliver on track.”
Vasseur insists the team are still looking to improve across the final six races of the season, starting this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, while also working on solutions that will benefit their 2017 machinery.
“We must continue to work on improving all areas, however we have particular focus on those areas of car and team performance which are relevant for next season,” said Vasseur.
“So for the car, areas like reliability and improving our systems of understanding tyre performance are applicable. Also, for the team, areas like pit stops are crucial and we saw how well we are performing in this area with some exceptional stops from our crew in Singapore.”
