Renault driver Nico Hülkenberg says the team has “taken a step in the right direction” over the Russian Grand Prix weekend, after feeling happier with his race pace.
The German driver lost a few places at the start, but he put an alternative strategy to good use and went long on his first set of ultra-softs.
Hülkenberg stopped for new super-softs on lap 40, which brought him out close to the Force India drivers ahead.
He eventually finished eighth, just behind Esteban Ocon, and was encouraged by his second top 10 result of the 2017 Formula 1 season.
“I’m really happy with the strategy we ran; there wasn’t too much left from the tyres at the end of that first stint, but we achieved what we set out to do,” he said.
“I lost track position at the start so we let everyone else pit ahead of us and went as long as we could go on the first set of boots.
“I kept pushing and the car performed really well, staying switched on with the track improvement meaning I was able to get faster and faster.
“I was definitely happier with our race pace; we’ve still got more work to do but we’ve clearly taken a step in the right direction this weekend.”
Team-mate Jolyon Palmer retired on the opening lap following contact with Haas' Romain Grosjean.
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