Nico Hülkenberg takes 6th place for Renault
Race after race, Nico Hülkenberg proved just how much Renault's results rest on his shoulders. The German finished sixth, while Jolyon Palmer had to be content with 15th place.
To find a Renault ranked in 6th place, you have to go back to Abu Dhabi 2010 when Vitaly Petrov denied Fernando Alonso his third world championship in favor of the young Sebastian Vettel. It is now an entirely different era, and Renault is on an upward path since its return to full-time competition last year.
Nico Hülkenberg is now in the Enstone team’s seat and he continued his points streak with a fine sixth place. The German is, however, aware that race circumstances greatly helped him: « This sixth place is a great result, which rewards all of us. We had a share of luck with front-running cars out of the game from the start or a little later: we clearly benefited from it. »
He was then able to rely on his team to unlock the Sauber of Pascal Wehrlein at the end of his second stint: « At the same time, we managed to seize every opportunity that came our way and the guys did a fantastic job during the second stop. That’s what allowed me to pass the Sauber. I felt comfortable with the car, but we could see that we still have work to do to catch up with our closest rivals. »
The gap with his former team, Sahara Force India, remains significant as he was never in a position to threaten Esteban Ocon or Sergio Perez. Nevertheless, this result allows the manufacturer to gain a spot in the championship, moving into 7th position.
As for Jolyon Palmer, an alternative strategy didn’t allow him to climb up from his 17th place on the grid. He ended up finishing in an anonymous 15th place at the end of the race: « We opted for a different strategy due to my position on the grid. I think I can say that it didn’t bring us what was expected. I wasn’t able to find the right rhythm with the car at the right moment. »
