Renault out to right Portimão wrongs in Turkey - Daniel Ricciardo

Renault

Renault out to right Portimão wrongs in Turkey - Ricciardo

Team struggled in Portugal and expects similar issues in Turkey

Sam Hall

Thursday 12 November 2020 19:44

Daniel Ricciardo is hopeful Renault can avoid a repeat of its lacklustre Portimão performance but fears it could again be on the back foot due to the circuit's freshly laid asphalt.

Although Ricciardo scored superb podium finishes at the Nürburgring and Imola, sandwiched between the two headline results was a ninth-place nightmare at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

For just the second time this year, in a race in which both drivers were classified, Esteban Ocon led home the Australian, with Lance Stroll's retirement and Lando Norris finishing a lowly13th minimising the championship damage.

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The new Portimão surface was labelled by Renault as the cause for its struggles across the weekend, which has prompted concern from Ricciardo given the Istanbul Park track also boasts fresh Tarmac.

"If there are similarities with Portimão, which I believe there will be - you just take the surface as one - whether it’s the same or slightly different I believe there will be some similarities," said Ricciardo, who currently sits fourth in the drivers' standings.

"When we left Portimão and digested it, the following 72 hours after that weekend there were some things we looked on and said ‘We’d do that different’ or ‘If we had another chance we would change this’.

"We’re taking this weekend as that chance to fix a few little things that we did differently and whether it turns out to be the same, time will tell, but I think we’re coming in with a bit more optimism than a few weeks ago."

Ocon too conveyed his concerns but is convinced Renault now has the knowledge to negate the problem.

The Frenchman added: "I think on each track we go the car always feels slightly different and sometimes it is more off than on, but we have more knowledge after Portimão obviously on how to improve things.

"We have had a lot of discussions on how to make things better so we have more directions now than we had prior to Portimão so we are definitely more ready than we were [then].

"But if it is similar, we will need to work hard and try to fight with the other guys."

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