F1 testing 2017: Scoring points difficult for Renault - Hulkenberg
Renault recruit Nico Hulkenberg believes it will be difficult for his new team to score Formula 1 points this year, despite the gains made with its 2017 car
A late takeover of Lotus severely hindered Renault in its first season back as a works outfit, finishing ninth in F1's constructors' championship with just eight points on the board last year.
Significant investment has been made to rebuild and restaff Enstone over the last 12 months, and Renault Sport Racing president Jerome Stoll said at its launch that the target for 2017 is fifth place.
Haas team principal Gunther Steiner believes F1's top three teams - Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull - are at least one second clear of the pack while Williams has also led a day of testing.
Hulkenberg is not convinced Renault's gains will be enough make it a regular points scorer from the midfield this year.
"I think Renault is better placed than last year," the former Force India driver said. "The team moved closer to the midfield.
"Points will be difficult as I think four teams are clearly in front.
"Then there's not much left. It's going to be difficult."
Jolyon Palmer described Renault's form in the first week of testing as a "pleasant surprise", but Hulkenberg was "not super happy" at the end of week two.
The reliability of Renault's overhauled power unit has been highlighted, with problems found on the dyno "magnified" when it has hit the track.
That has cost all three of Renault's teams running time, including an afternoon Hulkenberg was scheduled drive that was reallocated to Palmer.
"We did have a few questions marks this week," he said after setting Friday morning's fourth-fastest time.
"Today we managed to clear a few things. We now have a better understanding and a better car performance. It was productive day.
"We still have potential to go faster. And we still have plenty of work to do on the car.
"But the year is long. So I hope we can improve.
"I don't think we matched our expectations. During winter testing we discovered a few things that are not as we would like them to be.
"So this is how it is. Not we have to work hard to improve and get into the right direction.
"We would have liked to do a bit more set-up tests which we couldn't do as we were lacking time due to reliability issues.
"So we couldn't do everything we would have liked."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
F1 folk: The artist with a camera whose photographs became iconic
F1 folk: The PR legend who lived through Williams' triumph and tragedy
F1 folk: A journey from Alonso's kart mechanic to Verstappen's F1 tutor
Hulkenberg: Japan F1 GP fightback was "half a miracle" for Haas
Hulkenberg: Alonso picked “wrong corner” to try defensive F1 games with Russell
How Perez's 2023 qualifying struggles led to an Autosport driver ratings U-turn
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
Friday favourite: Renault's original F1 title-winner that began the Alonso era
Why Renault's survivor wasn't part of Alpine's plans
Aston Martin ‘not convinced’ Alonso would definitely want to stay in F1
Porsche lodges appeal over da Costa's Misano Formula E disqualification
2024 MotoGP world championship standings after the Americas GP
What Aston Martin’s curfew burn told us about its F1 upgrade trajectory
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
The secrets of F1 turbocharging explained
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments