Assessment: Renault is in the red in Turkey

The French team Renault had a difficult afternoon, with Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet finishing 10th and 16th respectively in the Turkish Grand Prix, held at Istanbul Park.

The team had made some changes and improvements for the very demanding layout of the Turkish Grand Prix. A new front wing and a new floor were not enough to improve performance and even reduced the grip of the R29s in the eastern heat.

Alonso is disappointed and is waiting (demanding) for improvements quickly. As for Piquet, he is finally demonstrating his abilities and suffers from a not well-developed strategy. The Brazilian refueled in the last laps due to a lack of fuel.

Fernando Alonso – 10th:

I’m frustrated not to have finished in the points but, to be honest, we couldn’t have done better today. We started from 8th place on the grid with the lightest car, and it penalized us: after my first stop, it was impossible for me to keep up with the pace of my rivals. We need to improve the car quickly. I hope the developments planned for Silverstone will be enough to allow us to aim for points and reverse the trend in the second half of the season.

Nelson Piquet – 16th:

I didn’t encounter any particular problems today, but my race was shaped yesterday during the qualifying sessions. As a result, it was difficult to make my strategy work. The car was competitive and I engaged in some enjoyable battles, notably pulling off a nice overtaking maneuver on Lewis Hamilton at the end of the straight. Our result is disappointing; however, I remain confident and hope that we can bring new updates in time for Silverstone.

Flavio Briatore – Managing Director:

« Our two drivers did their best today in a difficult race with a car that is not competitive enough. Our priority is to keep working hard and to make constant improvements to the car at each race until the end of the season. »

Pat Symonds – Executive Director of Engineering:

« It was difficult to see how to get into the points today considering both our starting positions and the speed of our car. We tried to use the tires in a slightly different way to see if it could give us an advantage, but it wasn’t enough to ensure a good result. As I’ve said before, we absolutely need to improve the basic performance of the car. »

Remi Taffin – Track Coordinator Renault F1 Team:

« Today’s race was difficult. Our drivers did a good job, but the way the weekend unfolded didn’t allow us to score points. We need to focus on Silverstone, where we hope to achieve a better result. We remain extremely motivated and are working at 250%. »

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team