Renault postpones its hopes

At the end of the qualifications, Renault did not have much chance of achieving an extraordinary performance. On a circuit where it is difficult to overtake, the single-seaters of?Alonso and Piquet only had to count on retirements and a positive refueling strategy to get into the points. Hit by Buemi at the start of the race, the Brazilian could already have given up on this possibility. A cruel disappointment for the son of the three-time world champion F1 : " I'm really disappointed to have been taken off the track. I had an acceptable start and I was in good shape because my first stint was very long and all the cars in front of me were very close. Unfortunately, Buemi hit me on the straight, which damaged the rear of my car. I had to give up. It's really frustrating because I would have been able to get into the points today. »

If Fernando Alonso started from 9th place, on the points limit, he was not sure he would be able to score points. Good relays and an effective strategy, counting on the abandonment of Hag and Kovalainen, allowed him to finish in seventh position. The Spaniard takes stock of a race that was ultimately quite positive and sees a good continuation of the season: “ The car was well balanced and its performance improved throughout the race. Our strategy was the right one but the starting position is essential in Monaco. However, we gained two places and scored two points, so the result is satisfactory. My motivation and that of the team remain intact. Many new technical features are planned for the next races and the second part of the season should smile on us. »

On the other hand, frustration dominates Flavio Briatore, who saw one driver get hit and the second get stuck in the traffic on the streets of Monte Carlo: “ Today's result is very disappointing for us. We were not helped by the circumstances. Nelson's race was wiped out by an accident that was not his fault. Fernando's was spoiled by traffic, which did not work in our favor. That said, we know that Monaco is an unusual race and knowing that the car's performance improved throughout the 78 laps, to be as fast as our rivals, is a consolation. We are working harder than ever to make modifications to the car in Turkey. We have shown that we can react quickly and hope that the rest of the season will allow us to score many points. » The Istanbul meeting is therefore eagerly awaited for the Renault team, which intends to take advantage of the drop in performance of certain teams to return to the leading group.