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Losing fifth to Toro Rosso would have been a real punch in the stomach

Losing fifth to Toro Rosso "would have been a real punch in the stomach"

02-02-2020 19:24

Renault were made to fight until the very end in Abu Dhabi to secure fifth place in the Drivers' Championship, and Daniel Ricciardo has admitted losing that spot would have been bad for a number of reasons.

There was plenty of expectation at Renault in 2019, after finishing the previous year as best of the rest. Along with the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull, it looked as if they might kick on and close the gap to the top three. 

However, Renault were beaten by McLaren in the Drivers' Championship and they were pushed all the way to Abu Dhabi by Toro Rosso for fifth place. 

Daniel Ricciardo was the team's best performer last season and even he's admitted losing out to Toro Rosso would've been bad for a number of reasons.

"There was a lot of pressure on Renault in 2019," Ricciardo said in an interview with Speed ​​Week.

"If we had also lost fifth place in favour of Toro Rosso, it would have been a real punch in the stomach.

"It would have meant fewer cash prizes and would have been motivationally bad too. In the end, we did it, but we must do much better in 2020."