Renault Assessment – The team didn’t go all the way

Following a turbulent British Grand Prix, Renault scores three points in the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships with Fernando Alonso finishing in sixth place. This ninth round of the world championship began on a soaked track, and the track conditions kept changing throughout the race, complicating the team’s strategic decisions.

At lights out, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet set off on intermediate wet tires and demonstrated a good pace at the start of the race, raising hopes for a strong race for the team.

During the first pit stop window, Fernando kept his intermediate tires while Nelson opted for new ones a few laps later. This decision eventually paid off as Fernando struggled with his worn tires and had to stop a second time to switch to new intermediate tires.

While the weather continued to play spoilsport after the halfway point, several drivers fell victim to a drenched track, and Nelson lost control of his single-seater at Abbey, where he ultimately had to retire. Fernando managed to find his way to the finish line after a race end made difficult by significant tire wear and ultimately secured three points in the Drivers’ Championship.

The team is now preparing for its next three-day work session in Hockenheim.

Fernando Alonso – 6th:

« I had said that in the rain anything could happen, and it finally did. It was a difficult race, with sometimes a lot of water on the track. I wore out my tires a lot, I finished the race with almost slick tires and I was losing a lot of time in certain sectors of the track. We might have been able to get a better result today, but in the end, I score three points, which is important from the championship’s point of view. »

Nelson Piquet – Retirement:

« I am obviously very disappointed to have retired this afternoon. The car was behaving very well, our strategy was the right one and we could have aimed for a good result today. However, when it started to rain more heavily, the track was completely flooded, even in the straights. I lost all control, there was nothing I could do. If we look at the positives, the car performed well this weekend and we showed competitiveness. We now need to maintain this for Hockenheim. »

Flavio Briatore – General Manager Renault:

Once again, in a race that could have turned in our favor, we failed to seize our opportunity. The first part of the race showed that Fernando and Nelson were very competitive, now we need to make sure to realize this potential for the second part of the season.

Pat Symonds – Executive Director of Engineering:

« Our pace at the start of the race was reasonably good, but we likely made a mistake by letting Fernando continue with the same set of intermediate tires. At the end of the race, we were not performing well, and we need to understand why now. »

According to a Renault F1 press release