"Bold strategy didn't pay off" as Renault battle for 5th in F1 world championship
F1 News
Renault F1 team are now in a battle for fifth place in the constructors' championship. Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul says their "bold strategy" failed to pay off after a poor qualifying result. McLaren, who finished on the podium, have now sealed fourth place. Toro Rosso are having a serge and are now hot on the heels of Renault for fifth with one race remaining.
Toro Rosso needs to outscore Renault by eight points to finish ahead of them in the constructors' standings. After finishing in the 'best of the rest' position last season, Renault will face a significant drop in prize money if the event occurs.
Abiteboul is keen to fix qualifying issues for the French team. For the Brazilian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo started in 12th while Nico Hulkenberg started from 14th.
“In view of our less than optimal starting positions on a track that really doesn’t suit us, we once again had to go for a bold strategy. This time it didn’t pay off, in stark contrast to previous races. After a difficult start on medium tyres, both our drivers were pitched against cars on soft tyres. The collision with Magnussen and the ensuing penalty effectively excluded Daniel from a race that could have been better for him, especially with a bit of patience at the beginning of the race," Abiteboul said.
"He nonetheless showed resilience even when racing in last place, right until the events at the end of the race that allowed him to climb back up the order. Unfortunately, these events also helped our rivals. We must absolutely avoid putting ourselves in this situation at the last race in Abu Dhabi.”