Renault F1 team principal Frederic Vasseur has praised their latest signing Nico Hulkenberg as a ‘real leader’ ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.
Renault announced last week that the German driver would be leading their pursuit in returning to the front of the grid for at least the next two seasons.
In a Q&A on the official Renault Sport website, the former ART Grand Prix team principal spoke about Hulkenberg’s appointment: “Nico is one of the drivers that has really made his mark, with in particular a GP2 title in his first year in the series. Only three drivers have done this so far: Nico, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
“He has succeeded in everything in his career to date, including Le Mans.
“He has a lot of experience and is very fast; that is very important for us at this stage of our development. From a technical perspective, an experienced and conscientious driver can give precious feedback as well as knowing exactly what they want from the car.”
The Frenchman also identified area’s of weakness within the team:
“What is clear is that we need to improve in qualifying to have a stronger baseline with which to start the race, and then hopefully the results will follow, the last four races are physically tough, but we’re up for the fight.”
Renault currently sit in ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship with just three points finishes, however, they have shown big signs of improvement recently and further points are definitely a possibility.
“The last results, independent of the points scored by Jo or Kevin, have energised the team. It confirms we are moving forward, which is always very positive. Even if 10th place is not where we want to end up long-term, it is progress and that is always encouraging for everyone.”
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