F1 News

Hulkenberg optimistic for Ricciardo arrival

Hulkenberg optimistic for Ricciardo arrival

04-01-2019 13:43

Daniel Ricciardo could give Renault a big technical boost in 2019 according to his new teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Ricciardo will race for Renault next season after leaving Red Bull and Hulkenberg believes he could give the team some fresh information.

"Us drivers are not engineers and certainly not aerodynamicists," Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport.

“But he could help us by explaining what Red Bull did with various systems or on setting up the car.

"He also certainly will have some information from Red Bull for us, like how to set up the car for example.

“That will be interesting for sure." The German added.

Many experts believe 2019 could see teams such as Renault close the gap on the big three following changes in aerodynamic rules aimed to make overtaking easier but Hulkenberg believes most are going into the season somewhat in the dark.

"With the new front wings no one knows exactly where to go," Hulkenberg said.

"But it's not a full reboot, more of a soft reset.

“As a factory team, it must be our claim to be much closer to the front.”