A great disappointment for Renault at Brazil
It was a disappointing Brazilian Grand Prix for the Renault Formula One Team as Fernando Alonso retired on the opening lap of the race due to an accident. Teammate Romain Grosjean completed the race in 13th.
Fernando Alonso, R2904, DNF
“It was a very busy first lap and unfortunately I got caught up in it. I made a good start and we had a promising strategy for the race, but unfortunately when Sutil and Trulli collided I was hit by the Force India as well. It’s a real shame because this is a special track for me; I always enjoy racing here and I think we could have scored points today.”
Romain Grosjean, R2903, P13
“I made a good start but after that I was missing grip and it was difficult for me to get heat into the tyres. I did my best and pushed hard throughout the race, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough. The end of my race was better but because of the problems at the start of the race I only finished in 13th place.”
Jean-François Caubet, Managing Director: “It was unfortunate to see Fernando taken out by Sutil because he probably could have challenged for points today. Romain had a good start to the race, although his pace in the early laps saw him drop back as he was overtaken by several cars. We are now looking forward to Abu Dhabi and we hope that he can have a strong race there. We are happy to see another victory for Mark Webber and Red Bull Renault, which once again shows the competitiveness of the Renault engine.”
Bob Bell, Team Principal: “This race is a great disappointment for us with Fernando being taken out on the first lap through no fault of his own. He did start down in 10th place but we genuinely thought that he could have a solid race and could finish in the points. Romain finished the race but really didn’t manage to keep the people he needed to behind him early on when he was heavy on fuel. But he brought the car home which is good. Although it’s a disappointing race for us, we will hold our heads up going into the final race of the season and fight again.”
Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations: “We brought new engines here and there have been no issues in the wet qualifying yesterday or during the race today. Romain gave his all in the race but unfortunately couldn’t challenge for points. He will use the same engine for the race in Abu Dhabi. Fernando’s race unfortunately ended on the first lap, which is a shame, although his engine will be practically new for the final race of the season.”
