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Ricciardo believes new track surface hampered Renault's upgrade

Ricciardo believes new track surface hampered Renault's upgrade

25-06-2019 11:33
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Bobby Vincent

Daniel Ricciardo reckons that the new track surface at Circuit Paul Ricard meant that Renault could not maximise its upgrade it brought for the French Grand Prix.

A series of aerodynamic upgrades ensured Renault would race at its home race in a confident mood. However, both Ricciardo and his team-mate Nico Hulkenberg were left rather disappointed with the positions they finished (P11 and P8, respectively).

Asked by Motorsport.com whether he was personally disappointed that the team missed a big chance to progress in France, the Aussie replied: "To be honest, I don't think we've really seen the full potential of it this weekend. I feel that we've missed a little bit set-up, basic stuff.

"I think the new tarmac, probably for those reasons, we didn't excel as well as we could have. It was shiny and really slick but with high-grip. It was quite unique, and I just think with overall, let's just be generic and say set-up, we could've done better.

"I think that we will see more in Austria - but I'm still optimistic we can be alright. But yeah, McLaren pulled it out with no updates. So we've still obviously got some work to do."