Renault confirm Ricciardo upgrade and explain why Hulkenberg won't get it

Renault have confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo will take an upgraded engine for the French Grand Prix, which the team believes will provide the Australian with a significant power boost. The new ICE comes in addition to a significant aero upgrade for Renault at their home race.

Ricciardo qualified fourth and finished sixth in Canada last time out as Renault continue to recover from an unreliable start to 2019.

Nico Hulkenberg followed him home in seventh, securing Renault's first double points score of the season.

Hulkenberg will not use the new engine in Le Castellet, with Renault unwilling to take a grid penalty in their home race.

NEWS ?: We will introduce a new Spec B ICE this weekend on Daniel’s car. This ICE represents a good step forward on performance. Nico will take his new engine at a future race, but as he will incur a penalty for exceeding the three ICEs permitted per year, [...] pic.twitter.com/aa7PasQFOq

— Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) June 21, 2019

[…] we don’t want it to be in France, our home race. The ICE was scheduled for use at a later race, but we are ahead of schedule so are pleased to be able to use here. #RSspirit #FrenchGP

— Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) June 21, 2019