Renault working on improving RS17 race pace

Since the 2017 season got underway, there's been a noticeable contrast between Renault's qualifying performance and its race pace on Sundays.

Nico Hulkenberg twice clinched a seventh-place position on the starting grid, in China and in Bahrain, but struggled to uphold a top-ten spot in race trim.

The culprit appears to be the balance of the French outfit's RS17 over a longer duration, a weakness tech boss Bob Bell is working hard to remedy.

"The R.S.17 is not as well balanced as we’d like over a full stint," Bell explains.

"Whilst you can get away with this over the course of a qualifying lap - where fresh tyres can mask the balance issue – the performance is less consistent when you take to the longer runs of race stints.

"We have a reasonable understanding of why this is and have a number of developments to address this in the realm of aerodynamics and suspension.

"We tested new parts - including a new front wing - in Bahrain designed to add more aero-performance to the car and also make it slightly more benign to engender better race pace.

"The big positive is that the car has the basic pace to be able to be qualified well. Our current issue is extracting that pace in a race scenario."

Hulkenberg sees the devil in the details at Renault

Renault nevertheless heads to Sochi with a positive outlook.

"We head to Sochi with a reasonable degree of optimism," Bell says.

"Our target is another step forward from our performance in Bahrain. We’d be happy with a similar qualifying position allied to improved race pace."

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.