Daniel Ricciardo does admit the “habits” of driving a Red Bull for five years are an obstacle in settling down at Renault.
The Australian’s hotly debated move to the French manufacturer has gotten off to a rocky start with Ricciardo failing to finish either of the opening two races.
Perhaps more surprising though has been his lack of pace compared to teammate Nico Hulkenberg, with the gap between them over a second for much of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
“For sure some [improvement] is in me learning the best way to drive the car, trying to maybe get out of some old habits from last year,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports.
“But also a few set-up things and trying to work out what works best for me to build my confidence in this car.
“I don’t want to say I’m stuck in my old ways with the Red Bull but for sure this car needs to be tamed a little bit differently. I’m just trying to master that.”
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Earlier this week, the seven-time F1 winner did accept he has perhaps underestimated the step back he was taking with Renault, with the team yet to show any indication of being the best in the midfield.
Perhaps worse is the reliability because, while the performance of the engine seems improved, three of the four Renault-powered cars have already retired through power unit failures.