Renault R.S.20 – Image: Renaultsportf1

Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, Renault limited Ricciardo and teammate Esteban Ocon’s time at the unveiling, signalling a concerted ‘pull-back’ of driver interaction, which is likely to take place over the weekend.

The R.S.20 had Ricciardo smiling again during testing, posting third quickest on the C4 soft tyres, but the outright pace of the 2020 challenger remains to be seen until tomorrow’s FP1.

Ricciardo yesterday said he’s ready to bury the demons of last year’s first-lap retirement.

“It’s a special feeling racing at home in Australia. I’m away from home for so long during the year, so it’s nice to spend time here with friends and family. The Australian fans are great, and you can really feel their support and use it as extra motivation. I’ve not always had the best race in Melbourne, so I’m looking to try and correct that this year and deliver a strong weekend with Renault,” he said.

Renault R.S.20 – Image:Renaultsportf1

“I think it helps and it’s a step in the right direction we set over the winter, everything pointing towards a good direction there are things done and not done, there is still discussion on Concorde, I think it is not signed, it’s not signed,” Abiteboul said.

“But there’s better money distribution, good financial regulations, the economic agreement that is a challenging one, everything like that is going in the right direction,

“But I can’t confirm here and now, simply based on the partnership that we are long-term committed if it’s definitely happened or not.”

After an encouraging winter testing, Abiteboul will want to match Renault’s new investment with results to retain prize recruit Ricciardo, who now begins the second and final year of his contract with the team.