Hulkenberg at a loss to explain 'bitter' Baku slump

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Nico Hulkenberg was at a loss to explain the massive slump in performance of Renault in Azerbaijan, the German urging his team to investigate its issues.

Hulkenberg's miserable Sunday started from P15 on the grid and ended just one spot ahead, the Renault driver lingering all day at the back of the field, just ahead of the lowly Williams pair of George Russell and Robert Kubica.

Hulkenberg felt he had spared no effort over the course of the 51-lap race to improve his state of affairs, to no avail unfortunately.

"I don't know what was going on but something is definitely way out," said a frustrated Hulkenberg.

"I hope it's track specific, but I really don't have the answer right now.

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"I just don't feel good in the car at all. I was driving it pretty hard and getting the best out of it that I could but if you compare the lap times, it's not looking very sunny."

"We really need to raise some questions, investigate the car and make sure everything on the aero side is where it's supposed to be.

"It was a very bitter one, happy to go home and move on."

Team mate Daniel Ricciardo was running just outside the top-ten before damage sustained during his silly reverse run-in with Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat put him out of the race.

The Aussie was barely less downbeat than Hulkenberg on his R.S.19's performance.

"All weekend we haven't really been on it," he said.

"That's why getting into the points would have been a fairly good recovery for us. That's why I'm obviously gutted not to pull that off.

"It looked like we had pretty good pace on that medium. On the soft we struggled at the beginning.

"If we finished the race I think we'd actually be quite upbeat about it."

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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.