2008 Spanish Grand Prix, Sunday
The ING Renault F1 Team suffered a disappointing afternoon
in Barcelona as both Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet retired
from the Spanish Grand Prix.
After a promising performance in yesterday's qualifying session,
the team started the race in good shape and Fernando raced
competitively at the front of the field during the opening
laps. But Nelson's early retirement set the tone for an afternoon
of unrealised potential as the Brazilian was involved in a
midfield collision on lap seven, causing damage to his R28.
As the race unfolded Fernando remained on course for a strong
points finish, but trouble struck at half-distance with an
engine problem forcing the Spaniard into retirement. The team
will now regroup and look to build on the promise shown this
weekend in two weeks time for the Turkish Grand Prix.
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Fernando Alonso, DNF
"This weekend has been both sweet and sour. The car was
very competitive and we were up there with the Ferraris and
the BMWs, which is a good first step. I think now we should
hopefully start enjoying races again and racing closer to
the front. Although I am disappointed not to finish, it was
a nice surprise to see that we are more competitive than we
thought we would be."
Nelson Piquet, DNF
"I made my first mistake early on and went off the track,
but I was able to rejoin down the field and from then on I
tried to attack, which meant I had to take a few risks. I
am disappointed, but there is no doubt that we have made a
lot of progress this weekend. I must take what I can from
this race, so that I do not make the same mistakes in the
future. I am now looking forward to Turkey and doing my best
there."
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director
"It is disappointing to come away with nothing, especially
after such a hopeful weekend. Nelson's race was spoiled when
he ran wide at the beginning, but Fernando drove impeccably
and in spite of the engine problem we have seen that the car
is very competitive and we can look forward to the next race."
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"A weekend that had a lot of potential has slipped away
from us. A fifth place with Fernando looked easy today and
a good showing from Nelson would have backed this up. We don't
yet know the cause of the engine failure on Fernando's car,
but in spite of the disappointment of the final result, we
take encouragement that our relative performance has moved
up. There is still a lot to do, and we will continue to work
hard to improve the car."
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