Renault F1 Team Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul goes into this weekend’s German Grand Prix in a positive mood after watching his team bounce back at Silverstone with both Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg in the points following a torrid time at the event before in Austria.
The French team were able to see Ricciardo past the chequered flag in seventh and Hülkenberg in tenth. The British Grand Prix weekend was complemented even more when the pair made it into the final part of qualifying unlike at the Red Bull Ring when they were both eliminated in Q2.
Abiteboul says that Silverstone was an “unpredictable race” as he felt his squad could have taken even more than what they got, especially when they capitalised on the Safety Car period.
“We can be reasonably satisfied to have put both cars into the points in Silverstone after yet another difficult Austrian Grand Prix, an event that has not suited us year on year,” Abiteboul said positively.
“We showed some good form throughout the weekend in Britain, with Daniel and Nico in Q3 and ultimately an unpredictable race in which we could have and should have scored even more points.”
Renault are in fifth position in the Constructors’ Championship on thirty-nine points, thirteen ahead of Alfa Romeo Racing but twenty-one behind McLaren F1 Team.
Now that Abiteboul’s squad have notched up an important result at Silverstone, he finds that the team are focusing on the “weaker points” of their RS19 to balance the setup of the car to the characteristics of both Hockenheim and the Hungaroring as part of the back-to-back before the summer break.
“On the whole, we showed our potential at a track which has, under recent regulations, become a real temple for engine power,” Abiteboul added.
“However, we recognise there are still areas where we need to improve and we are concentrating on these weaker points. Hockenheim and the Hungaroring should suit our package better although the extreme temperatures we expect to encounter may present challenges for the engine or tyres – a little like in Austria – however we will do our best to achieve the best results possible.”
