Renault

The ING Renault F1 Team endured a challenging Bahrain Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso finishing in 10th position, while team-mate Nelson Piquet retired from the race with a gearbox problem.
After qualifying in 10th and 14th, the team acknowledged that it would be difficult to score points, but remained optimistic of making progress in the […]

Fernando Alonso and his Renault team have rubbished any suggestions that he `brake tested` Lewis Hamilton prior to their collision in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Hamilton ran into the back of Alonso as they came out of Turn Three on lap two, and there had been suspicions from some that the Briton may have been a […]

Fernando Alonso - 10th: “The race was difficult, as I had expected. Our qualifying yesterday in Q3 had been a big surprise, but we knew that our race pace would not allow us to do much better in the race. We are still missing some speed but we hope to improve in Barcelona.”
Nelson Piquet - […]

The ING Renault F1 Team experienced a tough afternoon as Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet qualified in 10th and 14th places for tomorrow`s Bahrain Grand Prix.
As was the case for the first two races of the season, the team found itself battling with Williams, Toyota and Honda to reach Q3, with the times being […]

Fernando Alonso - 10th: “I am satisfied to have reached Q3 because I had some doubts that we would this morning. But we made several changes before qualifying and we felt they were an improvement after Q1, and that gave us the confidence to be more aggressive in Q2.
“Once we had qualified for Q3, […]

The ING Renault F1 Team was back in action today at the Bahrain International Circuit to begin its preparations for Sunday`s Bahrain Grand Prix. Windy conditions prevailed throughout the day, but the team was still able to make use of both free practice sessions to complete a set-up programme and evaluate the weekend`s tyre options. […]

Fernando Alonso - 12th: “It has not been an easy day for us. We concentrated on preparing a car that is suitable for the race, but we were not especially quick and it was not easy to get good traction on the circuit today, and this is something we need to focus on for tomorrow. […]

World champion Fernando Alonso says he is committed to bringing Renault back to the top step of the podium and has denied he has a performance clause in his contract allowing him to leave the team at the end of the season.
But the 26-year-old Spaniard, who has been linked to switch to Ferrari in 2009, […]

Fernando Alonso is hopeful his Renault team will be able to improve their form following their slow start to the 2008 season.
Although the two-time champion finished in fourth place in the chaotic season opener in Australia, he could only manage eighth position in Malaysia, where Ferrari`s Felipe Massa was the only retirement from a top […]

The Renault F1 Team

Following the turmoil inside the McLaren team in 2007, Fernando Alonso`s current team-mate says he is getting along well with the temperamental double world champion. Brazilian rookie Nelson Piquet, the son of the eponymous triple world champion, told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that Alonso is a

Fernando Alonso
Q. Fernando, after an amazing race in Australia, you scored just a point in Malaysia…
FA: Yes, we scored a point for eighth place and it was not possible to do any better. It is only a point, but a point all the same. We know that our level of performance at the moment is […]

Renault are still paying the price for their troubles of last year, claims engineering director Pat Symonds.
On the back of a difficult 2007 campaign, the French team have not yet rediscovered the form that took them to world titles with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.
And Symonds believes the cause of their current plight, which […]

Conducted and provided by Renault`s press office.
Q. Pat, where do you feel the team stand after the opening couple of races?
PS: I don`t think we learnt a great deal from the first race and that is not uncommon because Melbourne is always an unusual race, but in Malaysia we had a more straightforward race […]

Fernando, after an amazing race in Australia, you scored just a point in Malaysia

The combination of Fernando Alonso, Nelson Piquet and the R28 has garnered just six points from the first two races, prompting engineering director Pat Symonds to admit Renault are still playing catch-up after their aerodynamic problems of last season. Speaking to the team’s press department, Symonds reviews Renault’s - and their rivals’ - 2008 performance […]

The Dutch bank ING is currently undecided about whether to extend its Formula One sponsorships, primarily the title backing of Renault, beyond the end of next year.The Amsterdam-headquartered company entered the sport last year, and also advertises trackside and through naming rights at a few Grand Prix.ING was delighted with the results of the 2007 […]

Ron Dennis thinks McLaren can take credit for rebuilding Heikki Kovalainen following the Finn`s difficult debut season for Renault in 2007.At the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend, 26-year-old Kovalainen outperformed Lewis Hamilton in only his second race for the Mercedes-powered team.Team boss Dennis makes no bones about his belief that Renault, led by outspoken Italian […]

Former world champion Fernando Alonso insists he is not frustrated by the form of his Renault team, despite a difficult start to the season.
Although the Spaniard delivered fourth place in the Australian Grand Prix, his R28 does not have the pace that it needs to challenge for wins yet. In Malaysia, Alonso finished seventh, 70 […]

A Ferrari spokesman has plainly dismissed rumours that a deal is already in place to put Fernando Alonso alongside Kimi Raikkonen at the Italian team in 2009.“There is no arrangement at all with Fernando and Ferrari,” he is quoted as saying by The Times.“We have two drivers already contracted for next year - Mr […]

Renault boss Flavio Briatore has disagreed with team driver Fernando Alonso`s claim this week that the R28 car is likely to remain out of podium contention for the rest of the season. Rather, the Italian insists that only May`s Turkish Grand Prix, or the subsequent Monaco race, will give the experts enough information to allow […]

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore reckons it is still too early to judge the French team`s form after the first two rounds of the championship.
The French squad, aiming to bounce back from their disappointing 2007 season, have struggled to match the pace of the leading teams despite the arrival of Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard finished in […]

Renault team principal Flavio Briatore is a man who loves success. After luring former world champion Fernando Alonso back to the French team, the pressure is now on for the duo to help the squad return to form following their tough 2007.
Both Alonso and Briatore, however, agree that claiming victory in a Grand Prix will […]

b>Fernando Alonso has said he can leave Renault at the end of this season.
The double champion, who returned to the team after a stormy year with McLaren, has had a disappointing start to the season in an uncompetitive car.
“I`m at Renault because I wanted to get back to winning, like in 2005 and 2006, if […]

Fernando Alonso says he was not surprised by his Renault team`s form in Malaysia, and the Spaniard believes his team are unlikely to take a big step forward this season.
The two-time champion enjoyed a promising start to the season in Australia, benefiting from all the retirements to finish in fourth place.
In Malaysia, however, Alonso had […]