Renault Formula 1 team says there is no excuse for reliability woes
Renault Formula 1 chief Cyril Abiteboul says there is "no reason" for the team to have such poor reliability
Nico Hulkenberg enjoyed his strongest performance of the 2017 F1 season in last weekend's British Grand Prix, but suffered an ERS issue in the late stages due to a holed exhaust.
The subsequent loss of power helped Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo to sweep past him and demote Hulkenberg from fifth to sixth.
"In the last couple of laps I lost some power and deployment," Hulkenberg said.
"Not sure sure what happened, but sure we lost some straightline speed.
"It was easier for Daniel to overtake me, otherwise perhaps I could have kept him behind me."
With his team-mate Jolyon Palmer having retired on the formation lap with a hydraulic problem, Abiteboul said Renault's focus had to be on sorting its reliability issues as soon as possible.
"We're still unhappy with reliability," he told Autosport.
"We know this is our weakness, and we need to get that right.
"Frankly there is absolutely no reason to have to suffer to that extent, given where we are now in our programme.
"That has to be the focus - performance is pointing in the direction that we want, so our focus is reliability."
Abiteboul agreed Hulkenberg could have kept Ricciardo behind at Silverstone without the problem.
"[It was] the reason why we were absolutely unable to contain the attack of Ricciardo," he said.
"I believe without that we would have been able to hold him, but the objective in the last laps was to bring the car back home."
Renault introduced a new floor at Silverstone that the team said will be the "triggering event" to many more car updates coming.
Hulkenberg is hoping the developments translate into a stronger second half of the season.
"This was an important thing for us to bring this floor, and for it to deliver a big impact," he said.
"I know there are more things coming, even already for Budapest.
"I think the first half was decent, that was always my expectation, to be in the points now and then, but still a little bit behind the main midfield.
"I very much hope that at this rate of progression we can have a stronger second half, and battle the likes of Force India, Haas and Williams more, and take points off them."
Hungary 'a good chance' for McLaren to score F1 points - Vandoorne
Ex-Sauber driver Felipe Nasr still working on 2018 Formula 1 return
NASCAR bans Chastain Martinsville wall-ride manoeuvre
NASCAR has decided to ban the wall-ride manoeuvre made famous by Ross Chastain at Martinsville that secured him a place in the Championship 4.
Gasly: Mindset for Alpine is "completely different" to Red Bull F1 move
Pierre Gasly says he has a "completely different" mindset for his Alpine Formula 1 move thanks to lessons taken from his failed stint at Red Bull in 2019.
GTD Pro win a “proper send-off” for retiring IMSA stalwart MacNeil
Winning the GTD Pro class at the Daytona 24 Hours was a fitting way for Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, says team-mate Jules Gounon.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
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.