05/06/2019
NEWS STORY
Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal: If we only looked at the result from Sunday, we would not have the full story of our only Monaco weekend. The potential was there to achieve a better result; we just need to look at the fifth place Daniel was holding until the safety car came out after Charles Leclerc and Nico's incident.
It was an encouraging weekend, with continued improvement on the chassis, confirmed progress for the power unit, pit stops matching the best and numerous successes for our Renault Sport Academy drivers, the breeding ground for our future generation of drivers, including Anthoine Hubert and Victor Martins who won in Formula 2 and Formula Renault Eurocup respectively, while Guanyu Zhou and Caio Collet were both on the podium.
We must now target a result in Canada that accurately reflects our performance level.
Chassis Technical Director Nick Chester looks forward to showing our hand in Canada.
What makes the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve so challenging?
Nick Chester: There are lots of elements about the circuit that make it one of the more challenging on the calendar. Montreal is a power sensitive circuit but there are lots of big stops over a short lap, so finding the right balance between drag and aero efficiency is key. There are some chicanes in the middle of long straights and riding the kerbs can shorten the lap further and improve lap time. We look carefully at ride and suspension to improve the kerb riding, but we were pretty good on this in Monaco so hopefully we can carry that forward. Montreal also has a relatively smooth surface that is low grip so getting the tyres to work well will be one of the major items on the job list during Friday practice.
Are there any new upgrades planned for Canada?
NC: We have some aero and mechanical items coming through for Montreal. Our main focus will be concentrating on getting every different element to work in harmony - the midfield is so tight now that we need to maximise the overall performance.
How does the team reflect on Monaco?
NC: Monaco is a unique place - you don't always get what you feel you deserve if there's a safety car or accident. The overall result was frustrating as we felt we had a good car that was capable for both drivers to race for points. There were positives - the car was competitive and the drivers were able to push hard on track. We'll take these, look at the negatives, and hope to deliver on this potential in Canada.