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LinkedInRenault reliability hits drivers in Mexico
Daniel Ricciardo was among the drivers who suffered from a significant problem with Renault’s Formula 1 engine during the Mexican Grand Prix.
As well as the Red Bull driver, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz, and Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley were all forced to retire due to a fault with the Renault engine. Ricciardo suggested that there was a “fundamental” problem with the powerplant.
“We’ve been coming to Mexico the past few years so there shouldn’t be any surprises – I know the altitude and temperatures have been hard to stay on top of this weekend…
“It’s been a pretty grim weekend for a few of us; it’s a shame to be out early again. I guess it’s a bit of what Max [Verstappen] experienced early in the year – it’s not so fun.”
Verstappen, who had built a solid gap at the front of the race, was also conscious of the engine’s unreliability.
“I could see a lot of cars blowing up and retiring so I was definitely a bit worried,” said the eventual race winner. “We looked after our engine and everything seemed to work pretty well. I saw on the TV screen Daniel had retired and I saw a Toro Rosso on fire. I thought ‘oh God, don’t make this happen to me’.”
After the race, the French marque admitted that they miscalculated the engine’s cooling requirements in Mexico and pushed the performance a little too far.
