F1 News
Renault believe they're back in the mix after positive Canadian GP
For the first time this season, both Renault drivers finished inside the top 10. A tally of 14 points recorded by both Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg propelled them up to 5th, just two points behind McLaren.
Performance and reliability woes have knocked Renault's early season expectations off the rails. Boss Cyril Abiteboul is desperate to maintain the good result for their home race and beyond as they look to get back on track for the 'best of the rest' position.
"It's a good team result, it's the best that we could expect at this point, it puts us back in the game, very close from the McLarens," Abiteboul said in a conversation with Motorsport.
"It's also good because it was simply a weekend that has happened without an issue, that developed itself without any particular problem. And therefore we see what's possible if we are capable of doing that. It's a blueprint, a blueprint of what we need to do, of what we can do."
A simultaneous double engine retirement in Bahrain was perhaps the biggest trouble for the French team this year. But they've also been unlucky with some contact in the race and other mechanical issues.
Frustrations started to mount, and those were visible from outside the garage. Abiteboul says they'll continue to look at that result as a blueprint and use it to defuse the frustration.
"It was a bit frustrating when you know you have some pace but not exactly that pace to keep on fighting with bigger teams - but frankly we need to take that and be happy with the result. We need to take this result and already focus to the next one, but obviously lots are already in the pipeline for the French Grand Prix," he added.
