Motorsport Week continues its annual team-by-team review and ratings. Today we take a look at 'best of the rest' Renault, along with drivers Nico Hulkenberg and the McLaren-bound Carlos Sainz Jr.
Renault had something of a curate’s egg of a season. Fundamentally it has achieved its goal: it finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with its highest rate of performance since its comeback, and it secured the services of Daniel Ricciardo for 2019 – surely an added bonus. And yet it was run close at stages by Haas, and would only have just edged Force India without its mid-season re-entry. Renault has inched closer to the front but it still faces a chasm to the top three, and closing that gap is the next (massive) challenge now that it has topped the midfield. It is unrealistic to expect it to do so before the next regulatory cycle, unless the top three slip up.
If they were a football team they’d be: Tottenham. Plucky. Efficient. But not as well-resourced as rivals and still a long way off leading trophies.
 | Best Race: Austin was a strong weekend after a miserable run. |  | Worst Race: Austria. Slow and unreliable. |
Hulkenberg remained one of Formula 1’s standout performers through much of the campaign, often leading the charge for Renault, and was the championship’s unofficial Class B champion. He is capable of a stunningly quick turn of pace though this year perhaps had more than his fair share of accidents – six shunts in 21 events is quite a high return rate, and there were several missed chances. 2019 will probably be more defining, though, depending on how Renault improves and how he matches up against Daniel Ricciardo. He will finally be paired alongside a bona-fide Formula 1 front-runner…
Where to improve: Hulkenberg can probably only properly improve once the goalposts change. Perhaps that’ll come with Ricciardo’s arrival.
Surprising Stat: He led the midfield battle despite more retirements than all his rivals.
| Best Race: He regularly hits the high notes – Silverstone was one of the strongest. | | Worst Race: Belgium. A blunder that had dramatic consequences. |
Sainz Jr. finally received the manufacturer seat that he craved full-time in 2018 and had something of an indifferent season. There were some flat performances, accentuated by his difficulties in extracting the maximum from the R.S.18 over one lap, but to his credit he kept plugging away at it, adapting to different customs after three years in the same environment. He was a much more rounded performer after the summer break and can consider himself unfortunate not to have picked up more points, having been hit by issues when on form in France and Mexico. He now has a golden opportunity to be a lead figure in McLaren’s (hoped-for) revival, though 2019 will be a challenge as the team takes its first steps in recovery.
Where to improve: The erudite Sainz Jr. is deeply self-critical and analytical; his Renault spell will prove hugely beneficial for 2019.
Surprising Stat: He took more points finishes (13) than any other midfielder.
| Best Race: Abu Dhabi. Overcut strategy was perfectly executed. | | Worst Race: Q1 exit and Grosjean clash wrecked Silverstone. |
