Daniel Ricciardo had a positive weekend in Belgium despite being far from the points during Sunday's race. The Renault driver qualified as the best of the rest driver in P6 and also had good results in practice. Ricciardo says this speed provides good optimism for the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
Life at Renault hasn't started like a dream for Ricciardo, who has had to deal with a team taking a backwards step in the 2019 Formula 1 season. But engine wise, the performance in Spa gives Ricciardo optimism.
"We have made a lot of progress this year. At Spa the speed on the straight was good. That makes for optimism for this race and I am really looking forward to it. I always think Monza is a great race. I think it will be alright. It is not a circuit that we say: "Oh, that's not a good job for us." I think it's fine," Ricciardo told Motorsport.com.
Ricciardo made the switch from Red Bull to Renault during the winter. The Australian explains the development differences between the two teams.
"All the years at Red Bull it was all about the power unit. A lot of progress has been made and we simply have to improve the car Formula 1 is all about aero and downforce There are other things about the car that are not perfect, such as the suspension, but it's all about efficient aero and downforce," Ricciardo added.