Renault engine boss Cyril Abiteboul says achieving a double-points finish at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix is "critical" for the team if it is to reach the targets it has set for the 2017 Formula One season.
The French manufacturer is yet to record a two-car finish inside the top ten this year, with Nico Hulkenberg picking up all 26 of Renault's points so far. Boosted by a floor upgrade, Hulkenberg claimed the team's best result since it returned to the sport as a full-blown works team with sixth place at the British Grand Prix, though Renault remains 15 points behind fifth-placed Williams in the constructors' standings.
In contrast, Jolyon Palmer -- who has just a single top ten finish to his name in F1 -- has struggled in 2017 and has been comprehensively out-performed by Hulkenberg on a regular basis. His form has led to speculation that he could lose his seat to Robert Kubica, who continues to make strides as he attempts to complete a remarkable return to the sport.
"We head to Hungary with a positive mood brought about by the recent performance gains we have seen to the RS17," Abiteboul said. "We have shown at Silverstone that we are continuing to improve. Chassis developments, in particular the new floor, proved to be positive exemplified from Nico's eight points and both cars showing strong qualifying pace.
"It's critical to back up this improvement with both cars finishing in the top ten in Hungary -- we want to finish the first half of the season on a positive note. To achieve this, we need to put behind our reliability problems. We know our situation and the areas which require more attention.
"Our targets remain unchanged; we want to be sixth by the end of play on 30th July and fifth by the end of the season. A double-points finish is well within our reach."
Palmer, who failed to even start his home race at Silverstone due to a hydraulics leak on the formation lap, hopes the addition of the new floor on his R.S.17 can help end his barren run of bad luck in Hungary.
"I have burnt the unlucky underpants, so they are now out of the way," Palmer said. "I'm not superstitious, but you have to say this run of bad luck has to end. The big negative was obviously not being able to start the race. That was unbelievably frustrating, especially as it was my home Grand Prix and I had a lot of support. I couldn't believe it.
"But, there were certainly a couple of good things from Silverstone. My qualifying pace was decent and I managed my second best run of the season. I drove with the new floor in FP1 and it was working nicely, meaning I'm happy to have it for Budapest. Nico showed the benefit of the floor across last weekend with his strong qualifying and race pace. It's exciting for the team as we looked competitive and ahead of our midfield rivals. That's all I hope for in Hungary."