at the italian grand prix, ricciardo finished in 4th place, his best result of the year. teammate hülkenberg finished in 5th, contributing to renaults best finish since the team returned to the sport in . ricciardo was involved in a first-lap collision in russia, leading to his eventual retirement. he was initially classified 6th in japan, before both renault cars were disqualified ten days later for using illegal driver aids. three consecutive points finishes followed, with strong 6th-place finishes in the united states and brazil.