Hulkenberg: Reliability issues costing Renault 'experience and points'
Nico Hulkenberg says Renault's poor reliability so far this year is costing the team dearly, and the German is hoping for solutions to be implemented 'sooner rather than later'.
Last weekend in China, for the second time in succession, Hulkenberg was sidelined by an MGU-K problem after just 15 laps when the engine of his R.S.19 suddenly lost power.
Renault traced the issue to a software glitch, dismissing a hardware failure of its new-spec MGU-K element which was updated on all its engines after customer team McLaren suffered a breakdown on Carlos Sainz's car in Melbourne.
Regardless of the reasons behind the repeated setback, Hulkenberg wants his team to get on top of its reliability issues ASAP!
"It's not good news," acknowledged the German.
"We really have to get on top of these things, because we're costing ourselves results, experience and points.
"I think we know that we have homework to do on that side. We need fixes rather sooner than later."
When the gremlins set in last weekend, Renault's engineers provided Hulkenberg with several procedures to try - in vain - to get the German going again.
"It happened a couple of laps before I stopped, but we couldn't fix it, so the team asked me to park the car," he said.
On a positive note, Hulkenberg's team mate Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed a trouble-free run to the checkered flag in China, scoring a seventh-place finish and his first championship points with his new team.
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