Hulkenberg: close to points, but not close enough

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Nico Hulkenberg will be leaving Melbourne disappointed by missing out on points for his inaugural race with Renault, but satisfied with what the team has learned.

The German driver had performed relatively well since proceedings got underway on Friday.? But on Sunday, he appeared to lose a bit of the speed he had enjoyed until then.

Locked in a three-way battle with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon for most of the afternoon, he ultimately saw the latter preserve his edge and collect the coveted 10th place championship point.

"I was quite close to points, but not quite even though it was very close," said Hulk.

"I think tenth would have been very possible and it was on the cards today but the first lap wasn't great.

"I tried to overtake a Toro Rosso and ended up losing a place to Fernando [Alonso], which really compromised my race, I was stuck and couldn't get past."

Traffic also hindered the Renault's progress after his tyre change but once he sliced through Hulkenberg picked up the speed.

"I had a very positive last stint on the ultrasoft tyres with the car getting better and better, although it wasn’t quite enough to gain another position.

"My battle with Ocon and Alonso was a lot of fun, I had massive double tow from them, so I gave it all with overtake mode and DRS.

Still, it was a productive day of work for the French outfit and its driver.

"It was quite spectacular and must have looked pretty good from the outside too."

"There is a lot of information learned, a lot of information about the car, tons of information we collected, a lot of information that we can now analyse and process," he added.

"Looking forward, I'm confident we can improve the car in set-up and I look forward to racing once again in China."

GALLERY: all the pics from Sunday's action

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.