Renault now have 'real' qualifying ability after upgrade: Ricciardo

Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo believes Renault has made an improvement which will finally make them a force to reckoned with.

Renault have had trouble with their power unit in recent seasons, but an upgrade made in Spain may be a major game-changer for the Formula One team.

"Both Nico and I complimented the Renault boys and our qualifying mode felt pretty strong," Ricciardo told the F1 website.

"My reference from last year, I am pulling an extra gear before some apexes. So definitely a year on it is a lot better. We actually have a real qualifying mode this year."

Ricciardo started in sixth at Monte Carlo and both Renault drivers said they felt the results of the engine power upgrades.

"They found solutions very quickly, redesigned, re-engineered, and brought the fixes to the track,” Hulkenberg said of the work done by the team's French technicians after a stumbling start to 2019.

"That was quite impressive, and [in Monaco] you can feel again that the engine has come back to life and we can fully fight again. So that's very positive."

At the Canadian Grand Prix, Renault's improvements should be telling, and on a circuit where Ricciardo won his first F1 victory in 2014, there's reason to be upbeat.

"I feel that it is in the right direction now, and the nice thing is there is still more to come. The reliability is what is going to hold us up from going that step further.

"That is what is going to hold us back from going that step further, but we could squeeze a bit more this weekend. Even on a low power circuit you could feel it. So there are some positives."