Nico Hulkenberg is hoping Daniel Ricciardo will reveal useful Red Bull information to help Renault progress in 2019.
The French manufacturer faces an important year ahead after failing to close the gap to the top three teams last year and barely beating Haas and Force India to fourth in the Constructors’ standings.
Their future potential, however, was still enough to attract Ricciardo on a two-year deal and his arrival is very much welcomed by his new German teammate.
“He will bring a breath of fresh air and certainly have some information from Red Bull for us,” Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport.
“As drivers, we’re not engineers and certainly not aerodynamicists, he cannot tell us how to make the bargeboards, but he could help us by explaining what Red Bull did with various systems or on setting up the car and that will be interesting for sure.”
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Meanwhile, Renault Formula 1 chief Cyril Abiteboul has revealed the team is on course to make major gains in all areas this season based on numbers from the simulations.
“What I see is an acceleration everywhere,” he said to Autosport. “The gains that we will be making on the engine are much bigger than we have ever done in a winter – much bigger – and the gains that we are currently doing in the windtunnel are much bigger than we have ever done.
“But, we have to be careful on the windtunnel side, the aero side, as there is a change of regulation [primarily concerning front wings]. You know that when it happens there is a big reset: you lose [downforce] and you quickly catch up.
“So, it is difficult to make a distinction between what is coming from the regulations and what is coming from the effect of the restructure [at Renault], but if I look at our capacity to engineer, to develop, design and manufacture, it is an acceleration everywhere.”
