Abiteboul: Result 'one of our strongest' since return to F1

Cyril Abiteboul says the double top-ten finish enjoyed by Renault in the British Grand Prix was one of the best performances achieved by the manufacturer since its return to F1 in 2016.

Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon crossed the checkered flag at Silverstone on Sunday respectively 4th and 6th after solid drives from both drivers.

"It was a very good result from a team perspective and one of our strongest since our return to Formula 1," commented Abiteboul.

"It is particularly good here in Silverstone, a temple of the Formula 1 championship and one of the home races for the team.

"Clearly, there was a bit of help towards the end to gain positions, but that should not take away from the very strong performance that the team has put in throughout the weekend."

Beyond the strong performance displayed by the team's R.S.20 at Silverstone, the productive day also reassured the French outfit about its car's reliability which had been called into question after the first two races of the season.

• Ricciardo surprised by late stage pace on hard tyres

"Today, both drivers had a strong opening lap to have track position and then we decided to stop both cars for Hards under the safety car, which the pit crew did an excellent job on," added Abiteboul.

"We also had strong reliability and that’s so important when we have eventful races like this one.

"After tracks where the car struggled, Silverstone’s layout confirmed the strengths and weaknesses of the car.

"In particular we must keep working on high-speed corners as that’s our weakness compared to direct rivals. We have made progress but we should not lose sight of our direct competitors nor of the competitiveness level of Mercedes in all circumstances."

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