Daniel Ricciardo was left frustrated following his battle with Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen.
The pair found each other on track during the middle part of the Hungarian Grand Prix as Ricciardo looked to move forward from the back of the grid.
They then ran largely nose to tail for the remainder of the race, with Magnussen at times vigorously defending his position.
A poor qualifying result saw Ricciardo 18th fastest on Saturday before Renault elected to take new power unit components, relegating the Aussie to the rear of the grid for Sunday’s race.
It made for a long day at the office at the Hungaroring, which is notoriously difficult to pass on – a feat made even more difficult by Magnussen.
“It was always going to be tough starting at the back of the grid, but there were some positive moments,” Ricciardo explained.
Secure your spot today.
“We made the Hard tyres last well and then had good pace on the Soft tyre towards the end.
“It was frustrating not to get past Magnussen,” he added.
“I felt he was moving under braking, and I couldn’t do anything. I wasn’t happy about that as we could have progressed even further at the end.”
At the flag the 30-year-old was just 14th, while team-mate Nico Hulkenberg was only two places further up the road after struggling with engine issues.
It made for a poor result in the eyes of team boss Cyril Abiteboul.
“A poor result today with both cars outside of the top 10,” acknowledged the Frenchman.
“With Nico we were targeting points, but with an engine having to run in safe mode and a very modest advantage over the Soft tyre starters, we could not make our strategy really work.
“Daniel ran a good race, but starting last is always going to be a challenge at a track like Budapest.
“He still managed to gain several positions and had a good fight with Magnussen until the last corner, showing that he is a fighter who does not surrender.
“His attitude on track must be an inspiration for us as we head towards the summer break, with a first half of the season well below our objectives.”
Just a week separated the Hungarian and German grands prix, making it a tough couple of weekends for Renault.
In Germany the team recorded a double DNF, with Ricciardo suffering an exhaust failure while Hulkenberg crashed out while running in a podium place.
With the Hungaroring also proving pointless it made for two scoreless weekend in succession – and the sixth time neither car has scored points in 2019.
Renault continues to sit sixth in the contructors’ championship with 39 points, four points back from Toro Rosso in fifth which recorded another points finish courtesy of Alex Albon.
Formula 1 now goes on break over the European summer before returning to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium at the end of August.
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