Formula 1
Renault reviews Belgium
Fernando's 'cruise' to second, reliability issues and an update on this week's Silverstone test. Taking it easy? There have been suggestions that Fernando Alonso has gone into cruise and collect mode at the end of the season, scoring points ...
Published: Sep 13, 2005, 3:52 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Fernando's 'cruise' to second, reliability issues and an update on this week's Silverstone test.
Taking it easy?
There have been suggestions that Fernando Alonso has gone into cruise and collect mode at the end of the season, scoring points without making much effort in terms of chasing race wins. Yesterday, he seemed to confirm this when he said that he had backed off for much of the race. But as ever in Formula 1, the gap between truth and appearances was wide...
"The car was very difficult in the high speed corners," explained Fernando. "You could feel the rear end moving around a lot, and that's not what you need at this kind of circuit! It's strange, because the feeling wasn't there in the dry, but I had a couple of really big slides in Eau Rouge during the race..."
"The back end stepped out, but luckily I managed to correct the car and get off the throttle. Blanchimont was difficult as well with this feeling in the car so after that I was careful in the high speed sections and a little bit conservative." Conservative, perhaps -- but cruising? That's just not Fernando's style.
Chasing perfection
The Renault F1 Team changed Giancarlo Fisichella's V10 after fourth practice on Saturday, following the detection of a valve problem from Monza. For Denis Chevrier, this was once more proof that reliability is a moving target for any engineer...
"You can never take reliability for granted," explains the team's Head of Engine Operations. "This is a demanding arena, and we are constantly trying to push back performance boundaries while maintaining an acceptable level of risk. The major regret from the weekend in Spa was that we failed to meet the standards we have set ourselves since the start of the year."
"Modern F1 demands constant excellence, and Giancarlo's non-finish is one more proof of how the smallest of mistakes can compromise a race weekend. In the end, his penalty made life more difficult than it should have been, and he had to go on the attack from the outset to try and make up ground."
Weather worries
Not only that, but a gamble with race set-up failed to pay off for the team. "The wet conditions really deprived us of a number of potential advantages in yesterday's race," explained Denis Chevrier. "Wet conditions make life much easier than usual for the engines, because Eau Rouge is no longer taken flat -- and that means the longest continuous period of full throttle is cut from 20 seconds, one of the longest of the year, to half that."
"Given that prolonged periods at full throttle are particularly demanding for an engine, this undoubtedly meant we were unable to press home any reliability advantage we might have had over Raikkonen's engine. Secondly, we had opted for a very raceable set-up for dry conditions: we took a strategic decision to ensure the car was quick in the first sector, where it is possible to overtake at this circuit."
"Other people clearly ran a different compromise in terms of their downforce level, which could be seen from the straightline speeds in qualifying, and had the circuit dried fifteen or twenty minutes sooner, it would have been very interesting to see how things turned out. As it was, we never got the chance."
Silverstone testing
The team will test this week with Fernando, Giancarlo and Heikki at Silverstone ahead of the final series of three flyaway races. The team has four testing days left in its 30 day allocation, and these will be put to good use preparing for the bumps of Brazil, as well as the challenging sweepers of Suzuka and Shanghai.
A new aero package will be tested, as well as engine developments destined for Sao Paulo. The team hopes to introduce its fourth major engine specification upgrade of the year, the RS25D, at this race, a decision which will be taken according to the results of track and dyno testing this week. Both drivers will be using new engines in Sao Paulo.
-renault-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Italian GP: Sauber race notes
Next article FIA aims to reduce budgets
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Fernando Alonso
Who slept worst last night: Fernando Alonso
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
11 h
Who slept worst last night: Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin knew before Mexico GP it would not finish, Honda brings new countermeasures
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Aston Martin knew before Mexico GP it would not finish, Honda brings new countermeasures
More from
Renault F1 Team
Does Daniel Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull for Renault?
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Does Daniel Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull for Renault?
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Formula 1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 3 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe