Renault Sport Formula One Team recorded its sixth double-points finish of the season after Carlos Sainz’s eighth place and Nico Hülkenberg’s tenth place finish in the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Both drivers made clean starts with Sainz passing Hulkenberg into turn one then holding that position in the early running. Sainz enjoyed a quiet race from there, running a long first stint on the Ultrasoft tyre, before comfortably finishing in eighth for the second time in as many races.
After starting on the Hypersoft tyre, Hulkenberg pitted early and ran long on the Ultrasofts, driving a smart and calculated race to the flag for his first points finish since the German Grand Prix.
“I’m not quite happy with the result, as I know it could have been better", said Hulkenberg.
"I lost two positions at the start and from there we were on the back foot, which was costly. We pitted early, going for an aggressive undercut and that initially played out well, but we were caught up in traffic after that. I benefitted from the collision in front of me to get into the points, but it could have been more today, so it’s mixed feelings for me in the end.”
Five points for Renault means the team extend their lead in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship to 15 points over fifth place.
“I’m very satisfied with the result today", said Sainz.
"I wasn’t happy yesterday, but I woke up knowing we had a really good chance in the race. We had an advantage with tyre strategy starting in twelfth and we made a good start to boost our possibility of getting into the top ten. Eighth isn’t bad for today, but I would have preferred to finish higher up the order. Five points for the team are important for the championship and we keep distance to our rivals. In general, I’m happy with today as we executed a good race.”
