Daniel Ricciardo kicked off Renault's two-day test&n🐻bsp;😼at the Red Bull Ring as the team steps up its preparations for Formula 1’s season-opener in Austria next month. 

Ricciardo co🃏mpleted 115 laps of the Spielberg venue driving a two-year-old 2018-spec RS18 on Tuesday, w🌺ith his new Renault teammate Esteban Ocon set to takeover running on Wednesday. 

The French manufacturer is the lates🗹t team to have conducted some track testing prior to the start of the upcoming campaign, following a similar test carried out by Mercedes last week. 

Mercedes was the first F1 team to return to track action when it undertook a twꦅo-day private ꧒test at Silverstone, marking the first time since the end of pre-season testing in Barcelona in February that F1 machinery has run in anger amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

By opting to use its 2018 challenger, Renault can conduct as much mileage as it desires, with two-year-old cars not bound to𒀰 F1’s tight restrictions on running current machinery outside of the official test sessions. 

The test will also pro🐻vide Renault with the opportunity to familiarise itself with F1’s strict new hygiene protocols and social distancing measures ahead of♏ the season resumption. 

Renault has not been able to 🍒test in either the UK or Franc🥂e due to both countries enforcing a 14-day mandatory quarantine on international arrivals, making Austria the most obvious choice. 

AlphaTauri will also visit the Red Bull Ring later this month f🤪or a filmimg day, while Racing Point will commence a shake down of its 2020 RP🧸20 F1 car at Silverstone on Wednesday. 

Ferꩵrari is also expected to undertake a test before the season begins, though a date or location is yet to be confirme꧂d.