Renault Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul has called on the manufacturer to focus on its reliability after an “unacceptable” late double retirement at Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Renault endured an underwhelming weekend at Sakhir as Daniel Ricciardo missed out on a spot in Q3 while Nico Hulkenberg dropped out of qualifying at the first hurdle.
Renault split strategies in race trim and the two-stopping Hulkenberg surged from 17th to sixth while Ricciardo was set for the final point at the foot of the top 10.
But Hulkenberg and Ricciardo both crawled to a halt on lap 54 of 57 at near-identical moments, pulling off to the side of the circuit at Turns 1 and 2 respectively.
Hulkenberg reported a sudden loss of power while Ricciardo’s R.S.19 was halted by an MGU-K problem.
“After a very intense winter, it’s been a very bad start to our racing season,” said Abiteboul.
“Similar to Melbourne, our qualifying in Bahrain was massively compromised by minor electronics issues, which impacted both cars.
“Our race came to a sudden stop so close to the finish. These are issues we have previously encountered but something we were unable to rectify in Bahrain.
“These problems are increasingly frustrating and unacceptable as both cars have shown very good competitiveness both over one-lap and race runs.
“Nico delivered another outstanding drive from 17th to sixth. Daniel is building on precious experience in the car, and despite good race pace, his strategy gamble didn’t work out.
“We must react and shift our focus on reliability.”
Renault slipped to seventh in the Constructors’ Championship as a result of its double retirement.
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