Renault aims for turnaround at 'challenging' Silverstone

Renault's Cyril Abiteboul believes his team has the ability to bounce back at the British Grand Prix after a disappointing weekend in Austria, but insists Silverstone will be a challenge for the French squad.

Renault failed to score points at the Red Bull Ring last week, with tyre issues pushing Carlos Sainz down the order and Nico Hulkenberg suffering a turbo failure after 11 laps.

The French outfit's inability to hold its own at the head of Formula 1's the mid-field came as a relative shock to Abiteboul who was expecting a lot more from its trip to Spielberg.

"After the highs of a very decent run of eight consecutive finishes in the points culminating in our home Grand Prix in France, Austria was like a crash landing," said Abiteboul.

"Although the circuit did not play to our strengths, we must do better.

"While the race did not go our way, it certainly benefited our rivals, who took advantage of three retirements in the top teams to finish higher than usual in the rankings."

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The ability to quickly turnaround its fortunes is the hallmark of a great team says Abiteboul, and while the Frenchman sees Silverstone as throwing a few challenges Renault's way, he's also convinced a return to form can be achieved.

"The sign of a good team is the ability to react quickly and come back stronger," he said.

"Even in the short turnaround between Austria and Silverstone we must improve reliability, recover our more usual competitiveness level and further our understanding around tyre management.

"We know Silverstone will be a tough challenge but we will keep pushing to get back on target.

"It’s our second home race, just down the road from the factory, so another double finish would be a welcome fillip as we head towards the summer break."

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