US GP: Renault race notes

The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team scored two additional points to further reinforce their fourth place in the Constructors' Championship during today's US Grand Prix in Indianapolis. In perfect sunny conditions at the Speedway, Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button finished fifth and eighth respectively after starting from eighth and fourteenth on the grid.

Jarno Trulli secured fifth position after a faultless race. After gaining two positions at the start, he took advantage of the collision between the two Williams drivers to climb into fourth. His single stop came on lap 29. After this, he made steady progress up the field as competitor's pit-stop strategies played out and ended the race keeping Jacques Villeneuve (6th) comfortably at bay.

Jenson Button drove a solid race to eighth, finishing six places ahead of his grid position in a race notable for its low retirement rate. Running the same strategy as his team-mate, stopping on lap 30, he continued to push until the very end of the race, with his fastest lap of 1:14.265 coming on lap 72.

Jarno Trulli, 5th position

"I am very happy with the result, and especially to score two more points for the Team. The car set-up was perfect for the race: although the car was a little loose towards the end of the first stint, the tyres and set-up came in well for the much longer second run. Thanks to the work of my engineers and Pat (Symonds), we chose the right strategy, which played a big part in the result. Experience is the key at any Team, and I think my recent results demonstrate how well we are all gelling. Having said that, we saw today that we still have some way to go before we can really compete with the top teams."

Jenson Button, 8th position

"Eighth isn't really best ever. Giancarlo (Fisichella) pushed me onto the grass at Turn 2 and I didn't have much luck at my stop, coming back out in the middle of a big group of cars. We raced with less wing than some of the others, but although I was quicker down the straights, I was losing too much time on the exit of the corner before the straight (Turn 11). I pushed all the way but when there are so few retirements, it's hard to do much better!"

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Mild Seven Renault F1 Team

"We once again got two cars to the finish and this allowed us to score the points we needed to secure fourth place in the Championship. Everything worked well today: car, engine and drivers. It is another good result for the Team."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Mild Seven Renault F1 Team

"Today we saw all the Michelin cars were able to run with just one pit-stop whereas all our competitors, with a sole exception, made two. This kind of situation doesn't leave much room for a strategic advantage and we therefore had a conservative race. However, our pace in race trim was very pleasing and it is good to add to our points score on a circuit that we generally find difficult. Once more, the reliability of our package helped us to this result."

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