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Hulkenberg happy with points after difficult weekend for Renault

Hulkenberg happy with points after difficult weekend for Renault

17-03-2019 19:20
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Jake Williams-Smith

Nico Hulkenberg says he did well to score any points for Renault after struggling to 11th place in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.

While new teammate Daniel Ricciardo's race ended in retirement, Hulkenberg improved from his 11th position start to end the opening race of the season in seventh, scoring vital points on a difficult weekend for his team.

Speaking to media after the race, the German pointed to his start as the crucial element to his afternoon, adding that the team did well to hang on to the points paying positions late on in the race.

“It’s a good start to the season with some solid points on the board. It was a tricky race – especially the final 10 laps – I was under pressure and really had to fight to hang onto seventh place.

"I’m pleased to pull that off. The start and the first lap made our race; it’s so crucial to have track position around here and from there it was about managing the car and the tyres.

"We can be pleased with today, it’s a positive result, but it also shows we have a lot of work ahead of us. We need to dig deep and continue finding performance especially to improve the car balance.”

While Hulkenberg managed to score points, Ricciardo's race was put to a premature end after being forced to retire as the Renault team took the precaution of saving his power unit having been way down the order from the get-go.