Despite looking competitive in Canada as well as France, Renault’s upgraded RS19 Formula 1 car struggled for pace in Austria, prompting Daniel Ricciardo to state that his team was missing something “fundamental”.

The Australian finished 12th at the Red Bull Ring and never really got comfortable with his car, a sentiment shared by his teammate Nico Hulkenberg as well. Following the race, Ricciardo went on record admitting to being baffled by Renault’s recent form, reports Autosport.

“I really hope we’re going to find something this week because, for example, Le Castellet was a lot windier yet I didn’t really feel affected by the wind, where even today the car felt like there was massive turbulence during the race, in terms of the way it was handling, and the high-speed was very light.”

“So I feel something still wasn’t quite right on the car this weekend, what that is, we still don’t know, but I’d like to believe we’re going to find something because right now it doesn’t add up.”

“For now, I remain optimistic that I’ll be like ‘that was what was wrong’, and then we’ll be in Silverstone laughing.”

Also read: Ricciardo Was Ready To Sign With Red Bull Before Announcing He’s Leaving For Renault

When asked about his own views on the matter, Nico Hulkenberg admitted that it was very difficult to control the car at times, saying: “Driving in a straight line, the front felt very light and it was getting pushed around as if you were in tow behind another car.”

“It was certainly not easy today, the Alfas in the points were not very far ahead of us but following another car was very tough in those fast corners. We didn’t have enough pace to get by.”

Even though Renault are a semi-respectable 4th right now in the Constructor Standings for 2019, they still trail McLaren by 20 points, which is definitely not ideal for them since both teams have the same engine.

Up next on the calendar is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where Renault had a strong race last year with Hulkenberg finishing P6 behind two Ferraris, two Mercedes and a Red Bull.