F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Renault: First half of 2016 ‘tougher than expected’

Cyril Abiteboul concedes that Renault's first part of the 2016 F1 season has been “a tougher ride than expected”, though its Budapest performance is seen as “a tangible step forward”.

Jolyon Palmer finished on the cusp of the points-paying positions in Hungary but the British rookie would have opened his tally had he not spun and lost 10th place after his final pit stop.

Returning as a fully-fledged works team this year, Renault has generally struggled for pace and scored only once, with Kevin Magnussen claiming seventh in Russia.

After its takeover of the cash-strapped Lotus F1 Team last December, the French constructor was aware of the challenge at hand but Abiteboul admits Renault’s trials and travails have been greater than foreseen.

“In Budapest we demonstrated that we had taken a tangible step forward, not just in our own performance but in relative performance to our rivals,” the managing director said.

“In the race we were able to outrace Haas, Sauber and even Force India and Jolyon was just a sniff away from his first points.

“We now go to the final race of the first part of the year with our plan back on track. We knew that the first races would be about recovery and setting the foundations, but we had a tougher ride than expected.”

With the initial phase of Renault’s return as an F1 constructor now achieved, Abiteboul has laid out the roadmap for this weekend’s German Grand Prix, as well as the second half of the season.

“The task for Hockenheim is translating the extra pace we’ve unlocked into the points we just missed in Budapest. We’re making progress and the benefits of a strong result would be welcomed by everyone at Enstone and Viry.

“For the rest of this season, our goal is to attack the teams ahead, using new aero parts developed since the beginning of the season and marginal evolutions of the engine to stay in the same pace as our competitors, despite our focus on 2017.”

Scene at the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix

Hungarian Grand Prix - Quotes of the week

Technical analysis - Budapest

DRIVER RATINGS: Hungarian Grand Prix

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Vettel goes sub-3 hours with impressive run in London Marathon

Sebastian Vettel proved that he’s still got serious pace, even without an engine in his…

45 minutes ago

The art of the steal: Why copying is a technical necessity at McLaren

In the quiet, clinical corridors of the McLaren Technology Centre, the race for the next…

2 hours ago

Steiner sees Lambiase ‘out of Red Bull pretty soon’

Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner believes that GianPiero Lambiase’s blockbuster switch from Red Bull…

3 hours ago

Alonso fires back at retirement talk: ‘I feel happy when I drive’

At 44, Fernando Alonso is still gripping the wheel with the hunger of a rookie.…

4 hours ago

The brutal mirror: Herbert’s no-filter advice for Lewis Hamilton

Few names in Formula 1 carry the same weight as Lewis Hamilton. Seven world titles.…

22 hours ago

Beltoise's one-off masterclass and 'Jour de Gloire'

One-time Grand Prix winner Jean-Pierre Beltoise was born on this day in 1937. The late…

24 hours ago