Renault technical director Bob Bell has described the Malaysian Grand Prix as a "wake-up call" for the French team, after they failed to score any points, with Nico Hulkenberg finishing a disappointing 16th behind team-mate Jolyon Palmer.
Although Hulkenberg qualified eighth and Palmer 12th, the pair failed to make progress in the race and gradually fell back as those around them were quicker in race-trim, whilst two spins compounded a disappointing race for Palmer.
"It came as a wake-up call," said Bell. "We realised on Friday the car wasn't on the pace as both drivers weren't happy with the balance.
"We were encouraged that we made some changes before qualifying and it was there or thereabouts, but lots of things went wrong in the race, most notably at the start and thereon it was difficult to close the gap back.
"It's complex to analyse but, with decent starts and in maximising opportunities points would always have been possible. We will use lessons learnt to do better in Suzuka."
Bell is expecting a better weekend in Japan at a track that is similar to ones they've scored well at this season so far.
"The circuit is a mix of low and high-speed corners and frequent changes of direction such as the S bends," explained Bell.
"It should suit the R.S.17; speed-wise it's a bit like Spa and Silverstone where we went well. We head to Japan feeling hungry and positive, and we don't go with many major concerns.
"We need to keep working on our reliability as we have the pace in the car to meet our objectives, it's more a case of getting the car across the line with both drivers."
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