2008 Bahrain Grand Prix,
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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