ENSTONE-BASED Renault were left to rue reliability issues as both of their drivers failed to finish the Mexican Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg was forced to retire due to safety reasons, while Carlos Sainz stopped because of a mechanical issue.

Renault also provide engines to Red Bull, but their driver Daniel Ricciardo had to stop after five laps.

Managing director Cyril Abiteboul said: “The Mexican Grand Prix was a difficult one for us with multiple incidents.

“Both Nico’s retirement and one of our partner teams’ car is a reminder that reliability remains an issue and the consequences weigh heavily on us and our customer teams.”

Hulkenberg was as high as fourth before he was told to stop.

He said: “ I’m disappointed. We were doing well and a very good result slipped through our fingers.

“We have some work to do on reliability because we lost some potential points today. It’s a shame but this is racing.”

Sainz was up to seventh before a high-speed spin led to an early pit-stop.

He added: “In the end, my retirement was due to a mechanical issue with the steering.”