A first race out of the points for Renault

A good starting point for Nico Hülkenberg’s work

The defector from Force India is ultimately the big loser in the race for points. Making the best of a bad situation, the German nonetheless admitted that the R.S. 17 did not yet have the pace for points. My conclusion for this first race is that we are firmly placed in the midfield. We look forward to continuing to improve!

In a race where overtaking was rare, it was essential to get a good start. Dropping a spot in the standings, the 2015 Le Mans 24h winner might regret his optimism: “My first lap wasn’t ideal. I tried to put Kvyat on the outside in turn 13. He then pushed me off the track. I lost a place (to Alonso). I couldn’t do much more to overtake him. I had a very good first stint with the ultra-soft tires. The car was behaving better and better.”

“Hulk” long glimpsed the light, battling with Alonso and Ocon for the gain of the tenth place. Eventually, it was his former car that seized the opportunity, after a thrilling duel enlivened the end of the race: « My battle with Ocon and Alonso was very fun. My overtaking attempt was spectacular, and it must have been pretty to watch from the outside! »

LAP 52/57: Battle for P10 and a precious world championship point reaches fever pitch 😮

OCO fights off ALO and HUL 👏 #AusGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/73A69mvKt2

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 mars 2017

Palmer drinks the chalice to the dregs

On the other side of the garage, Palmer’s meager weekend was confirmed this Sunday. Starting 19th on soft tires, he retired after just 15 laps due to a major brake issue: “My race was looking good. I gained places at the start despite my soft tires. My pace was reasonable. I could see Nico (Hülkenberg) and Esteban (Ocon) ahead of me. Unfortunately, my brakes failed at turn 14.”

I had no other choice but to withdraw. It’s not the expected departure, but it will give me additional experience. I am looking forward to China!

The conclusion for the French team comes from Cyril Abiteboul. The general manager makes the following observation: « Our final result shows that we were not as well prepared as the competition due to a lack of mileage during pre-season testing. This new era of Formula 1 requires everything to be perfectly executed, as it is so difficult to gain places on the track. We need to be stronger in executing our strategy, in the starts, or in the pit stops. »

With zero points on the board, the Enstone team will need to step up in two weeks. For this, the former Caterham F1 director has faith in his pair of drivers: « Although we had few laps outside of traffic, we know that our driver combination will allow us to reach the desired level. We need to be in a position to fight for Q3 on Saturday while bringing home points on Sunday. And this at every race! For Shanghai, our first priority is to improve our reliability, which will put us in a better position. »