NICO Hulkenberg is targeting improvement after finishing one place off a points finish on his debut for Enstone-based Renault.

The German finished 11th in Formula 1's season opener at Albert Park, Australia, on Sunday with a positive last stint taking him to within touching distance of the top ten.

Hulkenberg is now looking to use his experience in Melbourne as a stepping stone for the Chinese Grand Prix on April 9.

The 29-year-old said: "We are firmly in the midfield and we’re looking forward to continuing to improve.

"I had a very positive last stint on the ultrasoft tyres with the car getting better and better, although it wasn’t quite enough to gain another position."

However, teammate Jolyon Palmer was forced to retire after 15 laps with a brake issue.

The British driver, who had made a promising start from 19th on the grid, said: “Unfortunately, my brakes stuck on at turn 14.

"We hoped it was just a glitch, but it happened again so we had no alternative other than to retire.

"It’s not been the start I wanted to my season, so we’ll put it down to experience and look forward to China.”

l CHIPPING Norton-based SWR Racing makes its endurance racing debut this weekend at Misano.

Charlie Fagg and Romain Sarazin will take to the wheel of the team's Nissan 370Z GT4 for the opening round of the European Series Northern Cup.

Team owner Sean Walkinshaw said: “We’ve prepared as well as we possibly could during pre-season testing, and we’re intending to mount a strong, consistent challenge from the first round."