Daniel Ricciardo admits the lows felt at Renault in 2019 were lower than he and the team expected.
The Australian made the bold choice to move from Red Bull believing the French manufacturer would continue their progress since 2016 and close the gap to the top three teams this season.
Instead, early reliability issues and a poor chassis meant Renault slipped back behind McLaren to fifth in the Constructor’s standings, but sometimes it also got worse than that.
“I expected lows and I think in any team you expect some lows because even if Mercedes is used to winning, then a fourth-place is a low for them,” Ricciardo noted via PlanetF1.
Also Read:
- Ricciardo: Mixed 2019 at Renault ‘no more frustrating’ than final year with Red Bull
- Ricciardo ‘is in F1 to drive for Ferrari’ and ‘had 2019 deal’
- ‘Clown of the paddock’ Ricciardo needs to get serious at Renault
“The high was kind of inline – a top-five, whatever I knew was there, but the lows at times we were like scratching our heads. Like, ‘we shouldn’t be this far down’.
“We’re not going to be a top-five car maybe every race, but to be running P14 or something, we thought we were done with this.
“So that was where there was a bit more, I guess, head-scratching and the reality of still we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Having also spent five years under the brightest spotlight at the front of the grid winning races and scoring podiums, returning to the rough and tumble of the midfield also required some adjusting.
“I think the biggest thing is understanding how to be perfect,” Ricciardo explained. “It’s so easy to overdrive and to try to get that extra tenth, and you end up losing a tenth.
“It’s trying to remain composed. You’re always trying to get the most out of the car but I think [it’s] just being more conscious of what a bit of overdriving does.
“Especially with the midfield, the car is obviously not as good as the front guys. So if you do have a slide, I think you lose more time and overheat the tyres and you seem to pay a bigger price.
“Learning when to be sensible and when to try and get a bit more out of it, it’s taught me probably just a bit of discipline over anything else.”