Daniel Ricciardo believes Renault should be targeting more top-six finishes in the second half of 2019 after a disappointing start.
The Australian has only managed one in the entire season to date in Canada, as the Enstone-based manufacturer struggles to make the progress they were hoping for.
And before he set out his expectations for the run to Abu Dhabi, Ricciardo admitted Renault will likely be behind the rest in bringing their next improvements.
“We won’t have another proper update until well after the summer break, but I’d expect some developments,” he said via Motorsport Week.
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“We brought some updates to France, they weren’t massive, so the next batch we bring I’d expect to feel a bit more [performance].
“[The upgrade] is not going to be the first few [races], it will be maybe after.”
It was then that the former Red Bull driver threw down the gauntlet to his new team, suggesting they need to pick it up if their future targets are to be met.
“At this halfway point we could say alright, we need to do better,” he stated. “If we want to be on target for podiums in 2020, we need to start making bigger steps for the second half of the year.
“So up until now I am somewhere in the middle with expectations, but I’d now expect the second half of the season to have some more regular top-six finishes.”