Abiteboul: “a reward for everyone”

The icing on the cake. On the last lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, the driver Renault Daniel Ricciardo bagged the best lap in the race, right under the nose of the Mercedes.

“My engineer told me what the current record was and I said to myself, 'It's for me.' It was a hell of a ride,” comments the Australian. “I used the whole track, I went to get him. It was perhaps better than my qualifying lap yesterday. »

This bonus is not trivial for the main team Cyril Abiteboul. “I see Daniel's best lap as a reward for everyone at Viruses Châtillon. They worked so hard for several years to get the engine in top shape! »

Beyond this record, Renault achieved its best accounting result since the firm's return to the diamond five years ago, for a small point ahead of Monza 2019. Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth, just ahead of his teammate Or with.

“Fifth place was ours today, so I'm happy to have reached it on the last lap” explains Esteban Ocon. He exceeded Alexander albon in the final loop. “The race was solid. We passed Albon at the start and then lost the place at the refueling point. The guys did a good job so we have to see what was missing. »

Renault made the most of its engine advantage, which allowed it to take the lap record in the first and third sectors in each session. She took the place of Ferrari as the fastest team at the end of the straight. At the end of the race, Ricciardo and Ocon were by far the fastest on the track.

“We knew Spa would suit our package and there were some big points in sight. We executed our plan throughout the weekend without any problems,” according to Cyril Abiteboul.

The boss will celebrate but does not intend to rest on his laurels. At Silverstone, the team achieved an excellent result, 4^e and 6^e, before becoming disillusioned in Spain, unable to score a point.

“We are satisfied but we have to stay focused, it is the same car that failed to take points in Barcelona and showed a lack of consistency. Improving this should be our priority. »

At Spa, there wasn't much missing in the end to compete for the podium. “I would have liked someone in front to have a little problem getting on the podium because it’s always the same” smiled Daniel Ricciardo.

On an even more favorable track at Monza next weekend, there is hope.