Hulkenberg says "it's hard to call" how Renault will do in 2019

Nico Hulkenberg has insisted his Renault side are focussed on making a "big leap" forward in 2019, but has admitted that the team will remain in the dark right up until the beginning of pre-season testing.

"It's always really hard," Hulkenberg told F1i.com when asked about predicting how the French team would do next season. "It's all speculation. We know what we do and I know it sounds not bad, but we're in the dark as to what the others find."

Teams take advantage of the winter period to fit new front and rear wing aerodynamic regulations into their vehicle designs fo 2019. Changes to the wing is risky, but it's a risk that could pay off by the time the Australian Grand Prix begins.

"Obviously, the new front wing is kind of a soft reset for next year, as it's quite different for the cars," Hulkenberg explained. "It's really hard to gauge."

Renault finished 'Best of the Rest' in 2018 - in fourth place. Hulkenberg welcomes the progress that Renault are making but he wants that bit more; he wants to challenge the big top three.

"We need to eat a lot of the gap away and eat into it," Hulkenberg admitted. "As a factory team, we need to aim at making a big step. But of course, that's where we need to go, that's what we need to aim at.