Nico Hulkenberg is hoping the “very strange” behaviour of his Renault car was only Austria-specific.
The Enstone-based team endured a difficult weekend in the Styrian mountains as both the German and teammate Daniel Ricciardo failed to place in the top 10.
More worrying for Renault were some of the characteristics Hulkenberg said his car had, which made even driving in a straight line quite tricky.
“Conclusion is nothing really worked,” he said via Motorsport Week.
“[We had] a lot of problems with the car and also with the brakes. We started to have more issues [in the race] and some very strange behaviour, like a square kind of braking.
“It was difficult to control the car at times. Even driving in a straight line it felt like the front was very light, getting pushed around as if you were in a close tow behind another car.
“Certainly not easy out there.
“The Alfas were not far ahead but following another car here is tough in those corners and we didn’t have enough pace to get by.
“[These problems are] kind of specific and new for which is obviously a bit of a surprise and a little bit strange.”
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Despite the tough result, Hulkenberg did take some comfort from believing the Red Bull Ring was a bogey circuit for Renault.
“I felt in previous years Austria is a bit of a particular circuit,” he said,
“In the last few years with Renault, we never had really great experiences here, so I hope it’s more track specific.
“We need to use that next week, take a deep dive, head into the data and look into things and see what’s going on.”
It is important Renault does get back in the game because, with McLaren enjoying a double points finish, the gap that was three points after Canada, is now 20 points in the battle for fourth in the Constructors’ standings.
