Hulkenberg: "We have to keep working"

Renault's drivers could have had a much better result in Australia had it not been for the virtual safety car.

Nico Hulkenberg says the Renault team have to keep working away to narrow the gap to the front-running teams. Winter testing seemed to indicate the gap between those at the top and the midfield teams had actually increased with Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull all in their own fight ahead of the likes of Renault, Haas and McLaren.

In Australia, the predictions proved to be correct however difficulty with overtaking and a virtual safety car threw a spanner in the works for many drivers, with Red Bull benefitting greatly and Renault losing out to Fernando Alonso and McLaren.

The German, however, believes that the French outfit made a very positive start to 2018 and have a decent car in the R.S.18.

"It was a straightforward race and successful for us. It was a strong weekend and I was pleased by our good race pace. I felt good out there and it’s a solid result," he said.

"Overtaking was very difficult as the cars are aero-sensitive and the speeds are so high.

"Seventh was probably a fair result for us; we would have been higher barring the unfortunately timed virtual safety car.

"We have to keep working and make sure we beat the teams around us.

"We’ve sent out a positive message from Enstone and Viry, but we need to reduce the gap to the front and that’s the challenge."

Ahead of next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, Hulkenberg said that although they missed out on a better points haul in Melbourne, a strong weekend in Sakhir could be on the cards.

The Bahrain International Circuit is a great facility in the middle of the desert," Hulkenberg added.

"The track itself is quite technical with the natural elements adding a few further challenges, most notably the wind. I really enjoy Bahrain as the heat is guaranteed and the atmosphere is always good to experience.

"You take a smooth and gentle approach to the track in Bahrain, while, of course, being as fast as possible. We joke about it being in the middle of the desert, but sand is a genuine element we have to consider in our preparation.

"If it’s windy it gets blown on to the track, so it can vary a lot from one session to another.

"You’re always adapting to the grip levels as well as the wind direction, which you need to suss out to get that perfect lap.

"My qualifying lap last season was as close to perfect as possible, even on par with the 2010 Brazil one.

"Hopefully we can repeat that this season and put ourselves in a good place ahead of next Sunday’s race."