Renault in the points: “We needed this result”

The Losange supporters were starting to despair, but that's it, the Canadian Grand Prix will have allowed Renault to register his first double points finish of the 2019 season. Daniel Ricciardo crossed the line in sixth place, closely followed by Nico Hulkenberg, seventh.

The General Director of Renault Sport Racing, Cyril Abiteboul, returns to this ordeal. “This is the best result that we are capable of targeting and imagining. Previously, we were not able to achieve it in the first six races, he admits at the microphone of Canal+. It's satisfying. But once again, I remain calm in the face of this result which above all shows the extent of the work to be accomplished. »

Qualified in an astonishing fourth place, Daniel Ricciardo ended up falling back over the laps, behind Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) then Max Verstappen (Red Bull). “It was a race in which we had to juggle between the desire to compete with cars faster than us, and also the desire to secure this important result. 

We are back in the fourth place match with McLaren, which is only two points ahead of us. It's not the same emotion as yesterday, more contained. Yesterday was an explosion because it was exceptional”, continues the Frenchman.

At the end of the race, team instructions were transmitted over Nico Hülkenberg's radio. “We must have done something we don’t like. We told them: “We take this result as a whole. We stop there. » Nico felt that he had a little fresher tires and that Daniel had hit his tires following the duels with Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen. We needed this result. »