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Abiteboul sees Hungary as good chance to solidify fourth

09:34, 26 Jul 2018

byBobby Vincent

Renault's Cyril Abiteboul believes the Hungarian Grand Prix at the weekend is a great chance to all but confirm fourth spot.

Renault are currently fourth and twenty-one points clear of their nearest challengers, Haas and Force India.

Nico Hulkenberg's fifth placed finish at Hockenheim ensured his best result at the French side so far.

Carlos Sainz Jr. however, has failed to get himself in the points in the last three races, but Abiteboul believes that will change this weekend as the Hungaroring should suit Renault's R.S.18 and allow both drivers to compete within the points.

"At the last race prior to the start of the summer break, the Hungarian Grand Prix acts as a good opportunity to gain some ground in the standings," Abieteboul told The Checkered Flag.

"We're just over halfway through 2018, which has proved interesting, yet challenging in our push for fourth place in the Constructors' Championship.

"We enter Budapest on the back of a good result in Germany. Ten points meant we extended our advantage to over 20 points over our nearest rivals, but there's still a long way to go and a lot of hard work to follow if we are to maintain this slender gap."

Abiteboul says that everyone is excited for the summer break, but there is still plenty to do before then, so tells Renault that they must keep their focus.

"Before we can start to think about the summer break, we must get through this tricky race on the calendar," Abiteboul said.

"We know the Hungaroring is a challenging circuit for a number of reasons, but like any round, we go there with a sense of optimism and high standards."