Daniel Ricciardo conceded both he and Renault needed to do more after an inconspicuous Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
The Australian, who turns 30 on Monday, finished outside the top 10 in both qualifying and the race as the R.S.19 proved not particularly adaptable to the Red Bull Ring.
Buoyed by knowing the Renault has always been a stronger race car than over a single lap and by recent races, however, Ricciardo admitted enthusiasm was high pre-race.
“You definitely wake up on Sunday with a lot of optimism,” he said.
“No matter how the weekend has gone I’m filled with a little bit more hope, but once we got going, I think the reality of our pace all weekend set in.
“Even the first lap was a struggle to keep it all together. I nearly went off a few times and just fought the car a little bit too hard this weekend.”
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Ricciardo though considered the struggle as part of the ongoing development of his relationship with Renault and was confident of bouncing back.
“We’ll try and figure it out,” he stated. “As a team, it’s important to be honest with each other, obviously they know they can do better with the car.
“I believe I can do better with whatever I’ve got. I’m not perfect yet and I definitely want to be.
“I want to look at myself and clean a few things up because this weekend wasn’t that smooth. Otherwise, we’ll throw a smile on, keep everyone’s head’s high.
“Be honest but then move on with optimism. No need to be negative for too long. It’s one bad weekend, but we’ll figure it out.”
