A double retirement for Renault very hard to digest

Evil tongues will say: " Again ". Because yes, once again, Renault was unable to capitalize and convert a huge opportunity into crucial points in the Constructors' standings tussle. Daniel Ricciardo et Nico Hulkenberg have abandoned during a German Grand Prix which offered everything to get into the middle of the big teams.

Daniel Ricciardo didn't really have the opportunity to defend his chances by stopping at the side of the track in the first laps. " We met an exhaust problem causing my abandonment. I saw a lot of smoke from the back of my car and that was it for today, explains the Australian, who started 13th at Hockenheim. It's really a shame. 

I watched the rest of the race and it looked like a lot of fun. I would have loved to have been there, because there was room to take big points. It's disappointing, but we'll look forward to next week. The end result is cruel for the team, but we hope things will go better for us in Hungary. »

But the biggest disappointment lies with Nico Hülkenberg’s clan. On his land, the winner of 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015 had a golden opportunity to get on this damn podium, a box that has refused him for 167 starts in F1. 

The German was in second place for a while after overtaking Kimi Räikkönen (Alfa Romeo). After the (temporary) return of Mercedes, the Renault, then in fourth place, slid towards the asphalt clearings of the last two turns, and hit the wall of tires. 

“It’s hard to digest. I'm upset, just like I am for the team and Renault. They deserved a great result today. It was one of those days where you can't give up and I'm disappointed with how it all ended, especially in front of my audience, he explained.

The last turn was wet, and therefore very tricky. The rear escaped me slightly, I spun, I opened my trajectory and I found myself on this portion of black asphalt. It was like ice and I couldn't stop the car. We were doing a phenomenal job with a very difficult strategy, so it hurts all the more and it will be even worse tomorrow. »

His boss Cyril Abiteboul tried to see the positive side of the situation. “We missed an opportunity to score big points against our direct competitors, but there are positives to take from the weekend. We want to be on top and on merit more regularly and we remain focused on our goal of building a more competitive car. »

Because of this zero point, Renault is now 31 points behind McLaren, who was able to count on fifth place in Carlos Sainz Jr., and even three disbursement units on Toro Rosso ! 

Find it in AUTO issue 2227hebdo analysis of F1 in Germany by our special correspondents, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands.