Nelsinho's secrets

For his first season in the premier category of motorsport, the least we can say is that Nelsinho Piquet did not convince last year at Renault. The Brazilian had a difficult start to the season, only managing to overcome his difficulties on rare occasions, such as during the Hockenheim Grand Prix where he reached the second step of the podium.

His good performances at the end of the year allowed him to keep, at the last minute, his seat for 2009, but now Nelsinho knows he is in danger, on an ejection seat. He will therefore have to prove these things from the start of the season, to ensure his place in the team.

Regarding the situation of his Renault team, Piquet says he is unable for the moment to be able to place it in relation to the competition, believing that the progress of everyone and the technical improvements which will see the light of day in Australia make it difficult to do so. early predictions.

" It's hard to say. We don't really know how fast we are and how fast our rivals are. I can't tell you yet whether we will fight at the front or in the middle of the grid. To be honest, it's getting better and better, but at the same time it's the same for all the other teams as well. The secret is to progress faster than the others, but it?s not an easy task,” concedes the Brazilian.

“I know that a lot of teams are going to arrive here with improvements compared to the versions seen in testing and, at the moment, when you improve the car you get quite big differences because the regulations are brand new and there are still has flaws to exploit. Clearly, we will navigate in the fog until qualifying, where it will be interesting to note the evolution of our opponents. All we have to do now is wait and hope for the best. »

“For me, I feel a lot more confident and I'm looking forward to being in Melbourne. I learned a lot in 2008 and I now plan to put all this experience to good use. We made big progress during the practice sessions, so we have a lot of hope for this race. Albert Park is a circuit which presents interesting challenges, particularly in terms of setting up the car, a real challenge on a track which alternates permanent and temporary layouts, slow corners and other faster parts. For the moment, my goal is to do my best to reach Q3 in the qualifying session and be able to collect as many points as possible. »

Just three days before the first free practice, Renault therefore seems to have certain potential; the French team will be able to count on a successful and efficient car, as well as on the desire to fight from its two drivers?