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Cyril Abiteboul says Nico Hulkenberg got a wake-up call last year. The German driver began the year as Jolyon Palmer's teammate, but the Briton was replaced mid-season by Carlos Sainz.
"One thing I recall was when we put Carlos in the car," Renault team boss Abiteboul told Auto Hebdo. "For the first time I heard Nico say 'What fuel is in the other car?' 'What tyres does he have?' 'What's his power mode?' For the first time, he cared about the other car," said the Frenchman.
Still referring to Hulkenberg, he continued: "It did not wake him up, because he's a competitor who never falls asleep, but it did worry him. And I think that's what drives him to excel." (GMM)
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Replies (4)
Login to replyrenaultFanF1
Posts: 80
It's extremely important to have a good competitive teammate, without that the driver grows complacent, thinking "I'm doing the best job and there's no more to be done". Hulk is a great driver, but lack of competition from the other side of the garage is not good for anyone
Kean
Posts: 692
I really hope Sainz out-qualifies and out-races him. Hulk is a great driver, but the way he's conducted himself in interviews and some of the things he's said just makes me dislike him. So far I haven't noticed anything of that sort from Sainz.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Renault has an exciting driver pairing, I expect to see them racing closely like Force India last year. Very much looking forward to those fights in track.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
This is one of the teams I have the highest expectations on. A works team in their third year back with two good drivers on board.