Q+A with Bob Bell

The ING Renault F1 Team's Technical Director, Bob Bell, looks back on the team's victory in Singapore. He also explains why the Renault R28 was suddenly so competitive at the new circuit and what effect it may have on the team towards next year.

For me it was the Fernando of old - he never gave up and when the time came to really push hard to gain an advantage he did so and brought home the maximum points. There was certainly an element of luck with the safety car, but Fernando had been on it all weekend and after the second safety car he pulled out an immediate gap over Rosberg and Hamilton, which confirmed the pace of the car and what an outstanding job he did.

When you're picking a strategy much of it comes down to assessing the probability of events during a race. The most likely thing to happen in Singapore was for there to be a safety car because it was a street circuit with some difficult corners. We were starting in 15th and 16th and so we had to try something different with the strategy because we had little to lose and wanted to be able to benefit from any safety car periods. As a team, we don't necessarily follow set paths; we like to be daring when opportunities allow and that's what being a good racing team is all about. I think the race in Singapore was a good example of that.

He was absolutely thrilled to bits. He's a racer and he wants to win races and so to come away as the winner of the inaugural night race in Singapore is something special and something that will always be remembered. He was very pleased for the team as well and I think it showed him that we still have the potential to go out and win races. He saw us return to the sort of form that we used to enjoy and that meant as much to him as the victory itself.

I think it was down to a combination of reasons, one of which was the new venue and the fact that Fernando and the team are both very good at dealing with new challenges. The team arrived in Singapore well prepared, which helped us get the best out of the car; we had an aerodynamic upgrade and we operated it differently in terms of set-up, which gained us a bit of performance. So it was just a step forward in all areas, which culminated in us having a car that really suited the track and the conditions.

It's very important because this team has been through a very difficult period since the championship years of 2005 and 2006. We needed to bounce back and regain our self-confidence and demonstrate that as a team we could still produce a competitive car and win races. We've done that and the result has lifted everybody's morale for the final three races, but more importantly renewed our self-belief, which is so important for next year.