The ING Renault F1 Team endured a challenging Bahrain Grand Prix with
Fernando Alonso finishing in 10th position, while team-mate Nelson
Piquet retired from the race with a gearbox problem.
After qualifying in 10th and 14th, the team acknowledged that it would
be difficult to score points, but remained optimistic of making
progress in the race. Both drivers made the most of an eventful first
lap to gain positions, but trouble hit on lap two as Fernando sustained
damage to the rear of this car and Nelson spun on some oil, dropping
down the field.
As the race developed both men showed good commitment,
although Fernando was unable to progress further than 10th in the
competitive midfield battle. Nelson’s progress was halted when he
suffered gearbox trouble after his second pit stop, leading to his
retirement.
The team now turns its attention to the next round of the
season in Barcelona and will look to capitalise on the three-week gap
to continue with its development programme.
Fernando Alonso, P10
The race was
difficult, as I had expected. Our qualifying yesterday in Q3 had been a
big surprise, but we knew that our race pace would not allow us to do
much better in the race. We are still missing some speed but we hope to
improve in Barcelona.
Nelson Piquet, DNF
I made a good start and the car was working well, then I suffered a
gearbox problem. I tried to continue but it became dangerous and my
engineers asked me to retire so that we would avoid a penalty in the
next race. The result is not what we wanted, but I was able to learn a
lot again this weekend and that is what I need to keep doing. I will
now try to prepare as best I can for the next race, and try to make the
most of the next test in Barcelona in ten days time.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director
Fernando’s race was compromised at the beginning when he was hit by
Hamilton. After that he did all that he could, despite a damaged car.
However, we are aware that we must improve our performance level. As
for Nelson, he suffered with poor reliability, although he had a good
start to the race. This is therefore a weekend to forget as far as we
are concerned, and we must continue working hard with our intensive
development programme at the next test in Barcelona.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
This hasn’t been a satisfactory race for the team, especially in terms
of our reliability with Nelson retiring on lap 41 with a gearbox
problem, although fortunately we will not incur a penalty at the next
race. Fernando’s race was difficult as he struggled with a damaged car
after an incident with Hamilton early in the race. Our focus now is on
the Spanish Grand Prix and the developments coming for the next test in
Barcelona. We need to provide a better package for our drivers.
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