Ricciardo’s Renault is getting better

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo had his best result with Renault, a sixth place that prompted team principal Cyril Abiteboul to note their “recovery plan” was working after a poor start. “The rest of the team executed everything impeccably giving us confidence back while also not forgetting errors made at the beginning of the season,” Abiteboul said in a team statement. “We remain very concentrated and conscious of the work there is left to do. “We’re moving forward to the French Grand Prix from tonight, as it marks the second stage of our recovery plan after the first one on the engine side.” Ricciardo was also happy, despite not being able to hold onto the fourth place that he’d won in qualifying. “I did all I could out there and I’m happy with the end result. It’s the team’s first double points of the year and it’s a big one in sixth and seventh, and we can’t ask for anything more than that,” he said. “There are definitely positive signs this weekend. We know the top teams are superior at this stage, but still, it was a lot of fun to battle Valtteri [Bottas] for a few laps out there. “We’re realistic in our approach, but the team should be proud of this weekend. They have that drive and determination to push on now and that’s really encouraging.”