Renault strategy bringing results

Technical director Mike Gascoyne is confident the right strategy has taken Renault's challenge to the top teams this season and believes the R23 is the best car on track. Renault has returned with a vengeance this year, after an erratic 2002, with a string of points finishes from both drivers and three podiums for Fernando Alonso.

At the last race in Spain, Alonso easily fought with the Ferraris to come home second while McLaren had a double DNF and Williams struggled. Gascoyne is sure Renault can keep up the pace and the results are not dependent on running light fuel in qualifying.

"We were the only team that could do that last weekend and it is very pleasing," he told Autosport, of the challenge to Ferrari. "Everyone has gone on all season saying that we have only looked so good in qualifying because we have been running no fuel, but we've been on the right strategy and got the results."

Renault's wide angle V10 may not be the most powerful on the grid -- BMW's P83 is considered the fastest -- but the R23 chassis is certainly proving its worth: "We've always been confident in the car," said Gascoyne. "We have said that the car's strengths are its aerodynamics and Barcelona is an aerodynamic circuit. We know we are down on power, but chassis-wise I think we have got the best car out there."

However, the next race at the A1-Ring in Austria is unlikely to be suited to Renault, a fact that Gascoyne readily admits: "I can see us not having such a good race in Austria," he commented. "So we will just have to go and get a one-two in Monaco to leave ourselves in the championship hunt."

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