Ricciardo sees summer break as 'nice reset' for himself and Renault

Daniel Ricciardo says the current three-week break for Formula 1 provides an opportunity for team and driver to step back and take stock of the first part of the season.

Ricciardo's bold move from Red Bull to Renault hasn't so far panned out as expected for the Aussie, with early reliability issues and a lack of performance thereafter weighing on team and driver's results.

Renault's ambition for this season was to lead the mid-field charge while also inching closer to Grand Prix racing's front-runners.

Hulkenberg growing impatient with Renault's lack of performance

But the French outfit concluded its first half of the season sixth in the Constructors' standings, 43 points adrift of 'best of the rest' McLaren.

"I don’t want to say it negatively, but it is nice to reset for everyone, and sometimes you need to step away for a bit to actually review things," Ricciardo said on the eve of F1's summer break.

"Your kind of go, go, go, especially on back-to-back weekends, you don’t really put yourself from a distance and say what can I do better, what can the team do better. Also for me personally to assess the first 6 months with the new team."

Upon committing to his new team twelve months ago, Ricciardo was under no illusions about the work that would be required for Renault to join the fight at the front of the field.

©Renault

But the 30-year-old driver genuinely thought he would be higher in the pecking order than where he currently stands.

"I had, I don’t want to say expectations, but scenarios in my head at the start of the year how things would go," he added after Renault's pointless Sunday in Budapest.

"Now I can assess where it is and try to understand also what I can do better within myself and within the team to keep everything going, and not let days like this emotionally make me kind of do things that are not positive.

"The summer break will be good for us. I’m confident the second half will be better.

"We are just going to stay above water now and keep everyone’s spirits high. I know that we will get there."

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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.