Breaking news
Formula 1
Renault perplexed by performance swing in "strange" Spanish GP
Renault is unsure why it encountered a performance swing at the Spanish GP, where its race pace was stronger than qualifying form for the first time in 2017.
Lawrence Barretto
Edited: May 16, 2017, 9:55 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The French manufacturer has made gains relative to last season, when it returned to F1 through its takeover of Lotus.
But in the opening four race weekends, strong qualifying performances - such as getting both cars into Q3 in Bahrain - were followed by lacklustre race pace.
In Spain, Nico Hulkenberg qualified 13th and Jolyon Palmer 17th but on race day, the former combined a strong start - where he rose to seventh - and smart strategy in a race where several frontrunners encountered problems to finish sixth.
"It was a strange weekend for us because usually we [have] very good qualifying and more difficult Sundays," Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul told Motorsport.com. "This time, it was a little bit the opposite."
When asked what influenced the swing in performance, Abiteboul replied: "I don't know."
He added: "We were really surprised, extremely frustrated and a bit shocked frankly by our pace in qualifying. It was not at all what we were expecting coming from FP2 and FP3, but the race pace was more encouraging."
Abiteboul hinted it could have been down to the conditions at Barcelona, where all of the teams struggled with the wind and getting the tyres into the right window.
"We have some explanations," he added. "I think it's a mix of things like all teams.
"It's difficult to predict how the tyres are going to operate and, if you're in the window, where they need to be - we're still trying to find our feet in that area.
"We have engineered a car that is more sensitive to the ambient conditions, but our car in particular is more sensitive, I believe, to traffic but also to crosswinds - so that is going to be an area of research.
"If there is one element that changed, the wind picked up a bit - that may be an area to look at. The wind is the same for everyone but it might be that wind is affecting us more than most."
Sixth was Renault's best finish since it returned to F1 and helped the team leapfrog Haas for seventh in the constructors' championship.
"It was an encouraging weekend," he said. "It's a bit the circumstance in which this has happened. So we don't get too excited. We need to look back, we need to be busy, keep our heads down and focus."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Hamilton gives up on drinks bottle to save weight
Next article McLaren admits Alonso strategy could've been better
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lawrence Barretto
Sirotkin, Stroll to have two race engineers each
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sirotkin, Stroll to have two race engineers each
Hamilton "sacrifice" saved Mercedes an hour of testing
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton "sacrifice" saved Mercedes an hour of testing
Kubica regrets being "too honest" about driving limitations
Formula 1
Formula 1
Kubica regrets being "too honest" about driving limitations
More from
Renault F1 Team
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
“I went back to the car and cried” – Esteban Ocon opens up about his unexpected year on F1 sidelines
Formula 1
Formula 1
“I went back to the car and cried” – Esteban Ocon opens up about his unexpected year on F1 sidelines
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Formula 1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Latest news
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 4 h
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 4 h
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
4 h
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
ARCA
ARCA ARCA 5 h
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.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.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe