Nico Hülkenberg revealed he was hampered throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix with an engine control issue, with the problem costing him at least three-tenths of a second per lap.
The Renault F1 Team driver had hoped to jump into the points-paying positions on Sunday having started eleventh on the grid and with a free choice of starting tyre, but the issue saw Hülkenberg struggle for performance, with the German ultimately being forced to settle for a twelfth-place finish at the Hungaroring.
Hülkenberg has only finished in the points in two of his nine Hungarian Grand Prix, with his best result coming in his first visit to the track back in 2010 whilst racing for Williams Racing when he placed sixth, but the thirty-one-year-old felt he did not have the pace on Sunday to make it three.
“It was a difficult afternoon for us today,” admitted Hülkenberg. “We struggled with the car, with an engine control issue from the beginning of the race, which meant I lost consistently three tenths a lap.
“That made things tricky and we just didn’t have the pace to progress into the points.”
Hülkenberg says it is a good time for the summer break to come for Renault as it will enable them to regroup ahead of the second half of the season. The German feels the team has underperformed in the first half, so it is imperative they raise their game for the second half, beginning with the next race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
“It’s a good time for a break,” said the German. “As a team we will regroup, think a few things over because we need to up our game in the second part of the season.”
