Rather disappointed - Permane
The ING Renault F1 Team’s chief engineer, Alan Permane, talks about the British Grand Prix. The Renault driver finished in seventh and eight places at Silverstone and weren't able to finish ahead of BMW. The team will now move to Francorchamps for a three-day test.
"It’s difficult to say. We’re rather disappointed to tell you the truth. We didn’t think we’d finish in seventh and eighth places especially after the start. Giancarlo seemed to hold off Nick Heidfeld without problems but the two BMWs still finished the race ahead of us."
Was this a surprise?"It was a bit, yes. We know that the two teams are very close in terms of performance, but the BMWs seem to have that little bit extra that makes the difference."
What lessons have you learned about the tyres?"They worked as we’d expected: the soft compound was really on the limit. Indeed, both Heikki and Giancarlo suffered from graining at the start of the stint when car was heavy with fuel. So we did two stints on the hard compound."
What’s the next step for the team?"First of all, we’re going to Spa-Francorchamps for a test session this week. Then we’re working on an aerodynamic evolution, which could be used in the next race at the Nürburgring. The factory’s working flat out to get the parts ready in time. "
Source Renault
