Daniel Ricciardo admits Renault must “avoid all the bullets” in 2020 after a tense final race in Abu Dhabi.
A combination of the French manufacturer’s disqualification from the Japanese Grand Prix and Pierre Gasly’s shock podium in Brazil meant Toro Rosso had the chance to overhaul them for fifth in the Constructors’ standings in the season finale.
And though the Australian and teammate Nico Hulkenberg failed to score, only ninth place for Daniil Kvyat meant the junior Red Bull still finished six points behind.
“That definitely would have been a punch in the guts,” Ricciardo said if his former team had scored the eight points they needed.
“Financially it is. You put the financial loss onto the motivation loss, and we didn’t need that.
“So let’s use that as a positive and say all right boys, we dodged a bullet, so let’s avoid all the bullets next year.”
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Abu Dhabi brought to an end a tough first season for Ricciardo at Renault, with some highs notably in Canada and Monza, but predominantly the progress was much less than expected.
Looking ahead to 2020, however, the 30-year-old remains confident of their potential.
“I know I like to talk a lot, but I am not one to say we will do better next year boys if I really don’t think we will. I am not just going to massage their shoulders and tell them what they want to hear,” he claimed.
“I know I will get better, so that is one variable that I know is going to change for the better. Even with that alone I am confident moving into next year.
“We can change [the car’s aero performance] and get a lot more out of it as the year goes on.
“With the updates we didn’t really get that much, so we have a bit in hand. We certainly have the resources and the budget to do so. So I’m optimistic.”