Renault's Nico Hulkenberg says after a "disappointing" start to the season, the next two races are "make or break" for the French manufacturer.
Renault's target of closing the gap to the frontrunners this season has failed to materialise and in fact the team has dropped down the order, falling behind customer team McLaren which leads the midfield charge.
McLaren's points tally of 82 is more than double Renault's, which sits sixth in the standings behind Toro Rosso and just ahead of Alfa Romeo.
Hulkenberg says the time off over the summer was a welcome break for the team which failed to score in the last two races and were particularly disappointing for the German racer, who looked set to finish on the podium in Germany had he not crashed out.
"The break certainly came at a welcome time for us after a disappointing July," said Hulkenberg. "We know the season has fallen below our expectations so far and it’s up to us now to ensure we recover it for the remainder of the year.
"I relaxed a little, recharged the batteries on a boat in Croatia. But now it’s time to get going again and I’m ready for the challenge. These next two back-to-back races are almost a make or break for our season. We have to be on it."
Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo insists the team has the ability to perform better, but needs a clean weekend to prove that.
"It’s been a challenging season so far, we can’t hide from that," added the Australian. "There have been some positives, some things not so good, so the summer break was ideal for us.
"It was nice to take some time off, have a holiday in Los Angeles, and not think too much about racing. It was the same for the team, so hopefully we’re all feeling refreshed now.
"We’re targeting a better second-half of the season to catch our competitors. I know we can do it, we just need cleaner weekends."
