San Marino GP: Renault race notes

Fourth and fifth for Fernando and Jarno; the team strengthens second position in the constructors' championship.

The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team reinforced its second position in the constructors' championship this afternoon following a solid result in the San Marino Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso finished fourth and Jarno Trulli fifth, and the team now has a total score of 31 points, four ahead of Williams and BAR.

Fernando Alonso ended the first lap in ninth position after a number of incidents, most notably when the McLaren of Coulthard almost took him out of the race. The Spaniard subsequently climbed through the field, making the most of opportunities to overtake around the pit-stops. Following his third and final stop, he was running fifth when he passed Ralf Schumacher and, in spite of a collision caused when the German closed the door on him, Alonso managed to continue to the finish without losing any positions.

Jarno Trulli finished fifth after starting from ninth on the grid. An engine problem cost him some performance throughout the race, but he managed to maintain his position (7th at that stage) and climbed to fifth after his first pit-stop. He then continued to attack, and managed to keep the Ferrari of Barrichello behind him in spite of brake problems at the end of the race.

Fernando Alonso, 4th position:

"A very good result after a tough race for me. I made a bad start, the car just lacked traction, and then Coulthard almost took me out at the first corner: some parts actually hit my helmet! By then, though, I had lost too many places to be able to fight with the leaders, so I followed the cars in front and made the most of my opportunities around the stops to pass them; the car was a little bit nervous, but I still managed to push. As for the incident with Ralf, from where I was sat he just closed the door on me, but fortunately it didn't damage the car. Overall, I am pleased to have finished fourth at this track, and happy we have maintained our position in the championship."

Jarno Trulli, 5th position:

"I am more than pleased with this result: I started ninth, and managed to make up four places at a circuit where it is very hard to overtake, as well as keeping one of the Ferraris behind me. At the start, the engine just didn't accelerate and I could feel from then on that it was a bit down on power. I pushed to the limit during my stints, but had no luck with traffic: the Minardi's alone cost me 5 seconds! During the last part of the race, the car became very hard to drive - I had brake problems and the rear wheels were locking, which made it quite nervous. I think the result is in line with what we had expected, and once again, we take home a good number of points for the championship."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director:

"This was a difficult weekend for us, so to get two cars to the finish in the points, maintain our 100% reliability and strengthen our championship position is a very pleasing outcome. The team worked well this weekend, and we got the strategy right. Both drivers put in solid performances, and we can be happy with the results of our work."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:

"After a very difficult first lap, everything was left to do this afternoon, so to finish fourth and fifth and reinforce our championship position is quite satisfying. Both drivers did an extremely good job and the strategy played out as expected. Fernando's aggressive drive nearly came to nothing after another dubious manoeuvre by Ralf, but I hope the stewards will come to the right conclusion."

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