Renault now part of the midfield - Abiteboul

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Cyril Abiteboul says Renault now “genuinely” belongs to the Formula One midfield in light of recent progress.

The French manufacturer enters this weekend’s United States Grand Prix on the back of a solid Asian tour, having secured back-to-back points finishes in Singapore and Malaysia.

Renault’s streak ended in Japan but Jolyon Palmer was still a promising 12th at the daunting Suzuka circuit.

“We might not have scored points in the Japanese Grand Prix, but our upward trajectory continued,” said Abiteboul, who serves as Renault Sport Racing managing director.

“On pure pace alone we were able to overtake and out-race Toro Rosso and McLaren while we were fighting with Williams for the race duration.

“It’s very positive to see we can genuinely mix it in the midfield and that we are there, ready to take advantage of any opportunity.”

Team principal Frederic Vasseur echoes Abiteboul’s sentiment about Renault’s steady improvement.

“[Suzuka] was our best weekend in terms of performance even though we didn’t score points unfortunately. We had a very strong FP3 on Saturday morning and even though we missed out a little in qualifying.

“It confirms the progression we have made since June and how we have been able to maintain it.”

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Julien Billiotte