Daniel Ricciardo insists he still has faith in his Renault project despite a slow start to the Formula 1 season.
The Australian only has one top 10 to his name so far, a seventh place in China, after a messy first five races including three retirements, two of his own causing.
Certainly, the results have been way short of what was expected with some already questioning Ricciardo’s decision to leave Red Bull.
“A few people have been like sorry it is not really going as well for you as you probably hoped,” he revealed to Motorsport Week.
“Not in a negative way, but I did expect this. I knew that we were not going to start off competing for podiums straight away, so I expected a struggle somewhat.
“And I expected work needed to be done.”
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That’s why Ricciardo is far from ready to give up just yet.
“Where the team stands, I wish we were quicker but I still see a lot of areas where we can keep improving. So I’m still very optimistic that we can still hit the trajectory we were hoping for,” he stated.
“We might be a bit behind it for now, but I am not discouraged at all. Also, it is definitely too early in the season for me to be discouraged.
“Personally, I’ve been really good, and I still feel really comfortable and happy where I am. So I’m just excited to see some progress.”
