Briatore promises serenity within his team!

The boss of the Renault team, Flavio Briatore, stated that there would be no relationship problems between his 2008 drivers Fernando Alonso and Nelsinho Piquet.

Alonso returned to the French team after a year spent with McLaren. The Spaniard, a double world champion, experienced difficult times with the complicated relationship with his young teammate and the espionage affair, but Briatore believes he was never treated as he should have been.

For this new season, Alonso will be partnered with Piquet, another young recruit, but Briatore made it clear that the Brazilian would play a slightly more secondary role compared to the Iberian.

« I think that Nelsinho doesn’t want to commit suicide in his first year of F1, » said Briatore to Gazzetta dello Sport.

« When McLaren signed the reigning world champion Fernando Alonso and Hamilton as a rookie, they had to manage the situation in the best possible way. »

« Piquet and Alonso both work for Renault. It’s up to me to manage them for the team’s well-being. I have to consider them as my racing drivers, but I also have many other people who work for me, » he continued.

Briatore also stated about Alonso, world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, that he was very motivated despite the fact that the team lacked speed at the beginning of the season.

« Fernando laughs today, he is satisfied with what he is doing. At 26, he has a fantastic job, and that’s already a victory for him. I see him as motivated as in 2003.

Is there a risk that he will leave us if we are not competitive? At the moment, I really can’t tell you.

The team is trying to reduce the gap that remains with the top teams day by day.

« I think we are a second behind Ferrari and McLaren since last year, » added Briatore.

« In my opinion, there will be six or seven cars with only two-tenths of a second gap this season. Ferrari has the advantage even if it must watch out for the McLaren team which is very close. »

« We must do our best in the first three races because when we arrive in Europe, we will introduce some important modifications that should allow us to gain a few tenths. »

« If Fernando says we have a 30% chance of winning, then he is optimistic because, for my part, I consider it to be about 25%, » he concluded.