Renault secured in Barcelona its best ever F1 result since its return as a works team, a performance which overjoyed Renault Sport F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul.
After a demon start by Nico Hulkenberg which saw the German jump from P13 on the grid to P7 on the opening lap, a steady drive coupled with flawless pit stop timing and execution saw Renault extract the most from the Spanish Grans Prix.
"A fantastic race result after a difficult qualifying session," enthused Abiteboul.
"It goes to show, you should never let your head go down and you should always maximise every opportunity.
"Nico took advantage of a great start, the pit crew delivered exactly what was required during the race and also a bit of luck fell our way.
"We showed good execution of strategy and pit stops and our race pace was better than that of our competitors, Haas, Williams and Toro Rosso. "
Renault is undoubtedly trending higher with each passing race and slowly but surely gaining ground in F1's tight mid-field battle. But more porgress is necessary says the French manager.
"It is positive that we continue to improve in these areas, however we still have to work hard to understand how to maximise the performance of the R.S.17
"This weekend was rather unusual for us because our race pace was better than our qualifying performance.
"For Jolyon it was a tough Grand Prix and we are dedicated to understanding what we can do to improve this.
Win the ULTIMATE TRACKDAY with F1i.com!
GALLERY: All the action from Barcelona on Sunday
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set…
When former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took on the role of Chief Operating Officer…
Charles Leclerc concluded the 2024 F1 season with a sense of satisfaction, the Ferrari driver…
Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has voiced his dismay at FIA president Mohammed Ben…
Super Aguri's application to join Formula 1 became a reality on this day in 2005,…
Ferrari roared back into contention in 2024 to deliver their strongest season in years, thanks…