Abiteboul believes Renault are "closer" to the top than before

Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul believes his team are in a better place going into the new season this year than they were a year ago.

Renault finished as the "best of the rest" in the constructors' championship in 2018; finishing fourth, but were a considerable distance away from the third-place Red Bull Racing.

But this season, Renault have a new driver, and a very talented one of that. Daniel Ricciardo joined from Red Bull, replacing the now McLaren man Carlos Sainz, to team up with Nico Hulkenberg.

Abiteboul's spirits are clearly high and why not after an impressive pre-season testing period in Barcelona.

"We were third in the testing kilometres and nothing is fundamentally wrong with the car," the Renault boss told Auto Motor und Sport. "We are closer to the top than before.

"In our estimation, there is practically nothing between us, Toro Rosso, Haas, Alfa Romeo and McLaren. Red Bull is still a mystery to us."

Abiteboul isn't the only one of Renault's staff to be confident going into the new campaign. Nick Chester, technical boss, wants a podium finish in 2019 for the French manufacturer.

"I think we will see a very competitive Renault this year," Chester said to El Confidencial. "There is a gap to the three teams ahead of us, but we want to reduce that and have a podium at least.

"At the same time, we are looking ahead to the future. We want to be champions in 2021."