Australian GP: Renault race notes

Jarno Trulli
"I had a good start, and was running well in second, holding off Michael. Everything seemed fine until I suddenly lost control of the car on the exit of turn 1, possibly because of oil on the circuit. A disappointing way to finish my first race for Renault, but I'm encouraged by our performance while it lasted, and particularly want to thank all the team for their hard work over the winter and throughout this weekend."

Jenson Button
"I made another excellent start, although I got squeezed out by Massa and Fisichella, before Heidfeld came down the inside on the grass at the first corner and took me out. Obviously, it's a disappointing end to the weekend, but I'm looking forward to getting back in the car in Malaysia."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Renault F1 Team UK:
"Although the result is disappointing, we were pleased to see Renault at the front of the field on their first race back in Formula 1, and I think we can be encouraged by our performance."

Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Renault F1 Team UK:
"After a strong showing in qualifying and the race, the team are obviously frustrated not to have scored points. Jarno was running strongly in second, holding off Schumacher, before he spun. We will have to analyse exactly what happened, but we think there may have been oil on the circuit. Overall, we can take a lot from the weekend, and I'm sure we will have a strong season."

Denis Chevrier, Operations Manager, Renault F1 Team France:
"The race proved inconclusive in terms of the behaviour of the A-spec engine, but we nevertheless saw that the car, with a heavy fuel load, performed well in a straight line and under braking. Although we gathered little data, with our race engines actually running the lowest mileage of the weekend, we can only be pleased with what we achieved."

Weather: Sunny
Temperature: Air: 19°C Track: 22°C

Jarno Trulli R202-02 RS22 Spec A 8 laps
Jenson Button R202-03 RS22 Spec A 0 laps

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