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2008 Malaysian Grand Prix Race Report: ING Renault |
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Sunday, 23 March 2008 |
The ING Renault F1 Team experienced a difficult afternoon at a hot and
humid Sepang circuit, with Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet finishing
the Malaysian Grand Prix in 8th and 11th places respectively.
After qualifying in 7th and 13th, the team had high hopes for the race
and targeted points finishes for both cars, but such was the
competitiveness of the midfield pack that the team was left to fight in
the lower reaches of the top ten. Fernando lost ground at the start
during a frantic opening lap but recovered to claim the final point.
Nelson reached the finish of his second Grand Prix,
bringing his Renault R28 home just outside the top ten. The young
Brazilian will look to build on the valuable experience he has gained
as the team travel to Bahrain for the next Grand Prix in two weeks
time.
Fernando Alonso, P8
“I did the best that I could today and I scored the final
point. We were able see that in normal race conditions we are a little
far away in terms of performance. Our goal for the moment is to try and
score points at each race and to work hard in the next tests so that we
can perform better.”
Nelson Piquet, P11
“I am happy to have finished the race as this was my
first objective after the race in Melbourne. I have learned a lot today
and I recognise that the group we are fighting with is very competitive
and that you have to drive the perfect race, but I finished close to my
teammate and that is encouraging for me. The race was difficult and the
car is still not competitive enough, but I am making progress and I
hope to continue that at the next race in Bahrain.”
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director
“Unfortunately we did not make the most of the strong
grid position with Fernando and this left us down the field, in spite
of both Fernando and Nelson doing their best. The only point we bring
home is no consolation and now we have to work hard to pinpoint our
problems so that we can come back stronger in two weeks time in
Bahrain.”
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
“A relatively straightforward race, which gives us a much
clearer picture of where we all stand. There is not much to report with
either car as both drivers had uneventful races and there were not many
strategic opportunities. It is clear we need to work hard on the car
and improve it, as there is a big gap to the front.”
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