Hungarian GP, Sunday,
The Renault F1 Team leaves the most dramatic race of the
2006 season empty-handed after a torrid afternoon on Budapest's
sinuous Hungaroring circuit.
Giancarlo Fisichella was caught out by the tricky wet conditions
in the early stages of the race, while Fernando Alonso retired
after his final pit-stop with a mechanical problem which has
yet to be identified. However, the bare statistics fail to
tell the true story of a dramatic afternoon of motor racing.
Fernando started fifteenth yet occupied third position by
lap five as he scythed through the field on Michelin's excellent
‘intermediate' wet tyres. He took the lead on lap 17
as Kimi Raikkonen pitted, and enjoyed a forty second lead
when the Safety Car was called into action on lap 27.
Running with a heavy fuel load in the second stint of the
race, he had a slender lead over Jenson Button when he pitted
on lap 51 for dry tyres. However, as he exited the pits, a
failure at the rear end of the car pitched him into a slide
at turn 1, and finally out of the race at turn 2. However,
the final twist in a dramatic race came when championship
rival Michael Schumacher retired from fourth position, meaning
the gap between the two championship contenders remains identical
at eleven points with five races remaining. While Ferrari
reduced the gap by one point in the constructors' chase, the
pace showed by the R26 and its Michelin tyres throughout the
weekend in widely-varying conditions means the team will approach
the next race in Turkey in optimistic, aggressive mood.
Fernando Alonso, Retired
These things happen in motor racing, but what an incredible
race. The first part was fantastic, and the car felt really
good in the wet conditions, even with a much bigger fuel load
onboard than our rivals. After the safety car, we avoided
taking too many risks and with the dry tyres, I think it would
have been a comfortable win for us today. But as I came out
of the pits, something broke at the rear end and I spun in
turn 2. Even though I am disappointed, everything is relative
and with Michael retiring, it means we haven't lost anything
at all this weekend. Even better, the car was really competitive
this weekend. We are starting the important part of the championship
now, and I am confident we are in a very strong position after
this race. I also want to congratulate Jenson on his first
Grand Prix win, he did a great job this afternoon and deserved
it.
Giancarlo Fisichella, Retired
It was a tough afternoon for me. The wet conditions are usually
very good for me, but the car was very difficult to drive
in the early part of the race, with understeer into the corners
then big snaps of oversteer as soon as I touched the throttle.
I followed Michael for a long time and eventually managed
to get past him, but then went off in turn 8. I was pushing
hard to build a gap, lost the rear end and damaged the rear
wing. I carried on because I could not feel any damage, but
then it came off on the next lap and I spun at turn three.
This was not a good race for me, but I am still fighting for
third in the championship, and confident that we can be quick
in Turkey.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director
It was the team's mistake today that cost us the win with
a car failure. It has not been a nice day, and I am sorry
for the team and Fernando: they all did a fantastic job in
very demanding circumstances. But on these days, you have
to think in terms of the championship as well, and nothing
has changed – except we are one race closer to the end.
What's more, we showed this weekend that we can bounce back
strongly from a hard weekend like Hockenheim – and even
from Fernando's penalty on Friday. That gives the advantage
back to us at Renault, and we will be fighting hard to make
the most of it in Turkey in three weeks' time.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
Wet races often bring excitement, but nobody could have predicted
how many times the tables turned this afternoon. As a team
we have to look at it in two ways. Firstly, I am sure we lost
the possibility of scoring eighteen points today. But on the
other hand, the damage in both championships is minimal. Fernando
was the class of the field this afternoon, and we know his
retirement was caused by a failure on the car, although we
will not know the exact cause until we physically see the
parts. Finally, congratulations to Jenson and Honda: it is
always good to see new winners in Formula 1.
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