Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul says it is “vital” that the manufacturer returns to the points-paying positions in Belgium as it strives to end the season fifth in the championship.
Renault has scored points only once in the past four events – courtesy of Nico Hülkenberg’s sixth-place finish in Britain – and occupies eighth in the standings.
Renault’s pre-season target was to finish fifth in the classification and Abiteboul is hopeful the team can kick on when the sport returns from its summer break this weekend.
“The Belgian Grand Prix marks the beginning of the home stretch of the season and it’s vital that we hit the ground running by making a return to the points,” said Abiteboul.
“Hungary could have been a very strong weekend for us but the results failed to materialise.
“This was frustrating given we proved throughout the weekend in Budapest that we had the pace to be competitive and be in contention for a good haul of points from both drivers.
“This highlighted the progress we have made in 2017.
“We have proved, on a number of occasions, that we have the ability to comfortably run inside the top 10 and have shown we are well in the mix to be the best of the rest behind the top three teams.
“Weekends such as China, Bahrain, Spain and Great Britain showed what we are capable of doing, and there are nine more races to really underline our progression and make a mark.
“We are focusing on the areas needing attention, and making the necessary improvements and changes.
“Clear steps are being made and we are heading in the right direction in terms of pace and reliability.
“Finishing the season in fifth is our objective, but it will take resilience and determination from everyone at Renault.”
Renault will introduce new software and hardware updates during the course of the next two events as it bids to move up the midfield order.
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