Renault drivers quiet after Suzuka disqualification

Renault in Mexico instructed its drivers to limit comments about their exclusion from the results of the recent Japanese GP.

The French team has decided not to appeal the disqualification, even though it says a brake balance display system was "fully legal and innovative".

Nico Hulkenberg commented: "I don’t think it’s something that is going to strongly affect our competitiveness on the track, so in that respect I am calm."

Daniel Ricciardo agreed that Renault simply needs to move on.

"We have to brush it off and move forward. If we keep dwelling on the misfortunes or whatever circumstances we’ve had this year then we’ll probably always feel sorry for ourselves. But I do feel like this year it’s been tough for us to get momentum and coming in as a team with pretty high expectations to build on what they had last year, and it hasn’t really been that way so far."

But there are different opinions in the paddock. It turns out that the Renault system was a read-out on the steering wheel that told the drivers which brake balance to set per corner.

Racing Point reportedly became suspicious of the system after an onboard go-pro video of Daniel Ricciardo’s first laps in the 2019 car emerged in the winter.

"I don’t know because I haven’t tried what Renault used, but in principle it would give you an advantage," said McLaren’s Carlos Sainz.

But Renault sporting director Alan Permane insisted: "If this is the benchmark, then any information the driver has about tyre temperatures or anything else is also a driver aid."