Daniel Ricciardo is hoping Renault’s recent engine gains can result in a Q3 appearance at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The French manufacturer has been actively trying to resolve teething issues with this year’s power unit, after focusing predominantly on solving their performance weakness over the winter.
An update in Barcelona was introduced to do just that and now, on one of the most power-hungry circuits on the calendar, Ricciardo is keen to see if the proof is in the pudding.
“We know we’ve definitely made progress through the year, we were encouraged by Monaco and even Barcelona,” he told reporters in Canada on Thursday.
“But remembering what it was like last year in Monaco, like pulling up the hill to Massanet and these places, our recollection was that in a year it has improved a lot.”
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Just how much of an improvement Renault can show though will depend on how aggressively they can push the engine, having being forced to balance performance with durability so far this season.
“They have not said it will do this or that, but through the upgrade we had for reliability purposes, that seems to be good,” Ricciardo said of the impression the Spain update has made.
“Basically it was once we get that then we can start to wind it up. I don’t know if we are going to push it more this weekend than in Monaco.
“But already having the reliability in a better place on their side, we have already been able to squeeze a bit more out of it. I don’t want to say we will be doing big things yet. I’ll play it cool.”