F1 News
Ricciardo expecting big step forward for Renault at French GP
- Jake Williams-Smith
Daniel Ricciardo says Renault has a lot to be excited about as the team has targetted its home event in France for a number of upgrades to the R.S.19.
The French team has announced it will be bringing upgrades to its 2019 car for the race at Paul Ricard after a disappointing start to the new season.
Both reliability and outright speed have been lacking for Renault as the team finds itself behind customer team McLaren in the constructor standings.
Despite the rough start to 2019, the Australian driver says the team is expecting a step up in performance by the time Formula 1 reaches Europe for the French Grand Prix.
“There is some substance behind that, there is some data to support that and it should be the case in some aspects," Ricciardo told Motorsport.com.
“But at the same time we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, like, after China qualifying seventh and eighth and saying 'this is it, this is where we are and we chip away from here'.
“It hasn’t been that easy since then, but the reality is that this year it is tighter in that midfield to what Renault experienced last year.
“A lot of teams have stepped up, so I think we can start to not run with them but hopefully get ahead of them.
"The reality is that it is not going to be as easy as last year and it will take a bit of time. But I think it is showing a bit more direction now, which is positive.”