Both Renault drivers admit a big weekend is a must at the Japanese Grand Prix following recent setbacks.
The French manufacturer had closed the gap to McLaren to just 18 points in their battle for fourth in the Constructors’ Championship after Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg finished fourth and fifth at Monza.
However, despite solid performances in qualifying, collisions in the past two races mean Renault scored only three points, allowing their rivals to pull ahead once again.
“It’s obvious we missed out on points in Singapore and Russia and that’s frustrating given our competitive pace and qualifying positions,” Hulkenberg said in his Japanese GP preview.
“We’re still in the battle for fourth. We have to focus race by race and extract everything from the weekend.
“Our Sunday’s especially have to be cleaner, but that’s down to a range of factors: on my side, on the team’s side and some things we can’t control. We have to target big points in Japan.”
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For this weekend, Renault will bring some upgrades in an effort to improve their shortage of downforce, something that is vital around Suzuka.
“We are bringing a new front wing to Suzuka,” technical director Nick Chester revealed.
“We also have a new chassis wing – externally the changes are pretty subtle, but we expect more downforce and grip as a result.”