Hakkinen sees Renault improving: "They go to Monza with a positive feeling".

The improvements at Renault were clearly visible on the Belgian circuit. "Spa is a very quick track which tends to reward a lower downforce set-up, and this played a role in the strong result for Renault - and the minor disaster at Ferrari. Renault gave Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon a very quick car which looked a lot more consistent to drive”, said the Finnish driver. "It is vital to have a fast, stable car that enables you to fully commit through Eau Rouge and Radaillon. We could see that Daniel had that in qualifying, qualifying 4th with Esteban in 6th, and pushing the Red Bulls.”

The former Formula 1 driver loves Renault's step forward. "Pat Fry, their Chassis Technical Director, was part of the McLaren engineering team when I was racing, and his appointment ahead of this year seems to have had a really good impact on the team. They will go into the Italian Grand Prix next weekend feeling positive.” However, Renault still has one thing to take into account, according to Hakkinen. "Neither Mercedes nor Red Bull ran their lowest-downforce aerodynamic set-ups due to the predicted rain - which never arrived.”