Ricciardo not shying away from Renault's difficult season so far

After finishing best of the rest in 2018, the signing of Daniel Ricciardo was meant to propel Renault to the next level. However, it has been far from plain sailing, and Ricciardo has been honest in his assessment ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo signed for Renault for the 2019 season a year ago after failing to agree a new deal with Red Bull. He wasn't prepared to play second fiddle to Max Verstappen forcing him to move to pastures new.

Much was expected of Renault this season after finishing best of the rest last season but they are sixth in the Constructors' Championship and have been troubled by reliability and a lack of pace.

With racing set to get back underway at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, Renault will be hoping for improved fortunes in the second half of the season but Ricciardo admits the break was welcomed by the team.

“It’s been a challenging season so far, we can’t hide from that. There have been some positives, some things not so good, so the summer break was ideal for us," Ricciardo said in the Renault preview.