Renault can't afford any more mistakes, warns Abiteboul

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Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul says that the team can't afford any mistakes, such as the error that cost Nico Hulkenberg a potential podium place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hulkenberg lost the back end of the R.S.18 and hit the wall in turn 4 on lap 11, putting him out of the race. He had been running up in fifth place at the time.

"I had some rear locking going into that corner and the wind was difficult," explained Hulkenberg, who also crashed out of the 2017 Baku race. "It didn't take much to throw me off. It's unfortunate but that's how it is sometimes."

“Nico just made a mistake,” Abiteboul said afterwards. “He makes one a year and last year it was here as well!

“Nico had some misfortune," he continued. "But it was his only mistake last year and if it has to be his only mistake again this year, he will be more than forgiven."

By contrast, Hulkenberg's team mate Carlos Sainz finished in fifth place on Sunday.

Renault disappointed by lack of progress in 2018

"Fifth for Carlos is a great result, our best since returning to the sport two years ago," Abiteboul enthused. "We have to admit it came in exceptional circumstances, but it is very positive.

"Carlos drove a very mature race, managing his tyres well, and fighting with multiple cars throughout the race."

Unfortunately for Renault, Sainz is only with the team on a one-year loan from Toro Rosso. He could be recalled at the end of 2018 to take over from Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull, should the Australian decide to leave at the end of his current contract.

That possibility was very much on Abiteboul's mind after Baku.

"We need to have a plan. We need to be prepared for the worst," he admitted to Corriere dello Sport.

"We have already starting working on next year's car, and we had a meeting this week with him to talk about it.

"The worst thing for us would be to want to continue with Carlos but not be able to. And this could happen, let's be honest," he added.

On the plus side, Baku saw the first appearance of an important new signing for the team. Former FIA technical chief Marcin Budkowski attended his first Grand Prix in Renault colours at the weekend.

"I chose a quiet race to make my debut with Renault," Budkowski told Auto Motor und Sport. "I plan to attend six or seven races."

Rival teams were unhappy when Renault poached Budkowski from the governing body in September. Following a spell of 'gardening leave', he's been appointed an executive director at the race team.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.