Formula 1
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 ...
Edited: Apr 26, 2004, 2:52 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
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."
-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 San Marino GP results
Next article San Marino GP: BAR race notes
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
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
Why Honda’s power unit lasted barely five laps in F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
Why Honda’s power unit lasted barely five laps in F1 Mexico GP
More from
Ferrari
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
WEC
WEC
Monza
6 h
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
7 h
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Latest news
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
32 min
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
4 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
5 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
5 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
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