Ricciardo thinks strong Monza performance proves Renault engine's improvement

Renault star Daniel Ricciardo thinks the strong team performance at the Italian Grand Prix is proof of how far the team has come since the start of the year, as the French works team got its best result since returning to F1 in 2016.

In previous years, Renault-powered cars typically struggled at power-heavy circuits like Monza, making it all the more significant for the team to grab as much of a strong result as they did on the weekend. With Ricciardo finishing fourth and teammate Nico Hülkenberg finishing behind the Aussie in fifth, Renault now shoot up the standings and sit just 18 points behind midfield rivals McLaren.

As for Ricciardo, he matched his best-ever result at Monza as he looks back very happily on his fruitful weekend.

“We deserved that today," the 30-year-old said after the race.

"It matches my best-ever result here in Monza and to do it with Renault is great. I saw the battles happening at the front and I thought there could be a big opportunity to score strong points.

"I’m really happy for myself and also for the team. To get the team’s best result since returning to Formula 1 in fourth and fifth at a power circuit really complements Renault and their hard work. The race pace was really good and it’s a nice reward for the team. The result is long overdue this year; I’m very satisfied now!”

It was the first points finish for Danny Ric since the British Grand Prix back in July, and Renault will look to carry on this momentum next week in Singapore under the floodlights.