Jolyon Palmer believes Renault must improve on all fronts if it is to progress up the field in the second part of the season.
The French manufacturer, along with its drivers, has endured a difficult campaign year to date, with Kevin Magnussen currently standing as the sole points-scorer at Renault following his 6th place finish in Russia.
Given the performance level achieved by engine customer Red Bull this year, Renault cannot point to its power unit as the main culprit of its weakness. And Palmer believes indeed that the team remains a work in progress with all departments forced to improve.
"We have different people working on everything," says Palmer.
"The engine guys are working on the engine in Viry, the aero guys are working on the aero, the chassis guys are working on the suspension.
"It’s not like we’ve got one group of people working on something, so we’re focusing on everything. Clearly the engine I’m sure still has a lot to be found still, but also you look at us compared to Red Bull and we can find a lot in the car, so everything needs improvement."
Renault is currently ninth in the constructer's championship, 22 points behind Haas which Palmer believes his team can overtake in the latter part of the year.
"I think the ones we need to catch first are Haas. hey’re the ones just making Q2 and we’re just behind them. If we can catch Haas, then that’s Q2, hopefully we’ve got more upgrades than they have for the rest of the year and we can do that.
“Then maybe Toro Rosso are falling away a bit from the group in front, they’ve got the old engine as well, so maybe we have a chance to catch them. The tracks [in the second half of the year] can hopefully suit us a little bit better.
"I’m still improving all the time as a driver, so I hope for some points halfway through the season. I’ve been close and not quite, so I’m hoping for that. And I’m sure we can improve the car so that’s going to be more possible."
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Scene at the British Grand Prix
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