Ricciardo: New surface stopped Renault from maximising upgrade
Daniel Ricciardo thinks not nailing the right set-up for the new track surface was to blame for Renault failing to get the most out of the upgrade package it brought to the French Grand Prix.
With Renault having headed to Paul Ricard bullish that a series of aero updates could lift it clear of the midfield battle, both Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg were left slightly disappointed with how things panned out.
Both believe, however, that there was good potential in the changes, but a new track surface in France left Renault struggling to properly understand how to get the most out of it.
Asked by Motorsport.com if he was disappointed that Renault didn’t make a big step forward, Ricciardo said: “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.”
Hulkenberg, who finished in eighth place to score Renault’s only points after Ricciardo dropped to 11th following post-race penalties, reckons that his team at least has a lot of data it can work through now.
“I think we definitely got something out of it,” he said. “There’s more work to be done, work-in-progress. After such a weekend, having a proper race, there’s a lot of information there that can be useful to us and we can extract more and more over the next few weeks.”
Asked after the race if McLaren’s pace had surprised him, Hulkenberg said: “Yeah, pretty bad today. Bad. We beat one of them.
“Carlos [Sainz] wasn’t far ahead, only a few seconds. Looking at Friday’s pace and yesterday’s pace we were more worried we could take the fight to them. We were able to do it again. I was expecting more from them.”
Previous article
Williams announces Lowe departure after leave of absence
Next article
The magic bullet Mercedes might have found
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | French GP |
| Drivers | Daniel Ricciardo |
| Teams | Renault F1 Team |
| Author | Jonathan Noble |
Is Red Bull Hiding the Real RB16B? | F1 2021
Sergio Perez's First Drive With Red Bull Racing
Alfa Romeo C41 and Alfa Romeo C39 Compared
Say Hello To The RB16B | Unveiling Our 2021 Car
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
After seven years of defeat at the hands of Mercedes, Red Bull is as hungry as ever to secure a fifth world championship. But there are key challenges it must overcome in 2021 to switch from challenger to conqueror
How AlphaTauri has adapted to F1's new rules
AlphaTauri launched its AT02, complete with a new livery, as it bids to home in on an already-tight midfield battle. Although there were few outright new parts displayed on the launch render, there might be a few clues into further changes down the line…
