NICO Hulkenberg again narrowly missed out on registering Renault’s first point of the Formula 1 season as he came home 12th in the Chinese Grand Prix.

The German, who finished 11th in the season-opening race in Australia for the Enstone-based team, was one place ahead of teammate Jolyon Palmer.

After qualifying in an excellent seventh position, Hulkenberg gambled in damp conditions by switching to dry tyres at the end of the first lap in Shanghai, but any advantage was lost by a crash which led to the field being slowed by a virtual safety car.

He said: “In damp conditions if you can’t push, you lose all the tyre temperature. I lost all grip. It was like driving on ice and I spun a few times.

“From there it just went wrong, the VSC pretty much ruined our strategy and so the race.

“It’s a shame because I think it could have worked out very nicely for us.”

Renault will be hoping for a change of fortune in Bahrain this weekend.