Renault fights back!

Hello there:

There is some time, for some people long time, that I don't write this kind of post, but it was impossible for me to do it before. It took me a bit to get, check and check again the data that will be the vertebral spine of this post, because there were a lot of changes during this weeks.

I want to start with one of the inaccuracies that has been published: the 19 improvements in the R28 in Montmelo.

That is not true, or better said, that is not totally correct. The car didn't have 19 improvements, just 19 modifications, that is completly different. I will try to explain:

As I have said before, in the Spanish Grand Prix there will be brand new improvements, that Fernando himself have asked for, that would make the R28 to have a qualitative and quantitative improvement in its performance. The problem is that some inconveniences appeared, because the basis of the R28 were not compatible with a lot of those new pieces.

The solutions were to change as much as possible some of the parts of the car, for example the weight divisions and the balance. They modified also the braking system that did't work well with the new evolution; and they change something also with the Diffuser.

In total, the new pieces were no more than 5; the rest were only "fixes" or "patches" that have to be implemented to make compatible the "old" with the "new".

This is the reason why Fernando was not really happy. In the test of Montmelo they checked that only a couple pieces worked well, the rest were rubbish.

However the french team had an incredible capability of adaptation that allowed in less than a week to redistribute the division of weights and to look for another balance touching 12 components of the car to make it to adapt better to the new parts they want to introduce.

The statements of Fernando were clear: "we have improved a little", "we are almost the same", that means the total improvement with the evolution was at the beggining less than expected. However the capability of working of Renault and genius of Fernando made the miracle, over all in the qualification part and a bit less in the race.

The big handicap of the weekend was the engine failure, that was a result of the huge punishment that the engine had in Barhein, because it had a lot of work because of the aerodinamic in order to not get out in most of the curves.

The engine was long time on the maximun ratio of R.P.M., which in addition with the 2 Safetys of Barcelona, it ended burning the engine definitely. In Renault there were aware before the race that it could happen and it just happened what it was included into their forecasts.

In Turkey the expect to check couple things, but the real improvement would be in Monaco, where they will introduce some changes that will improve (at least that what they wait for) the traction of the car, time ago the strongest point of the Renaults and nowdays the weakest.

The capability of traction will allow them among other things, to improve the performance with load of gasoline, because now in the slow curves with a lot of gas, the R28 loses a lot, and also will recover the starts that Renault was able to do in 2005 and 2006.

Another subject that I would like to make clear is the behavior from Renault to Fernando. I will sumarize in one sentence: Just because of this it worth it to change from McLaren to Renault.

In another post I talked about the fight that Fernando have had with his track engineer, but that was nothing with the "tsunami" that happened more than once (just remembering some from 2005 and 2006) among Pat and the Spaniard.

In Barhein, Fernando was really upset with the british because he didn't allow him to use his soft tires set in the Q3, somthing that will allow him to raise up to the 8th position. That position in the start was very good, because in the simulations were giving him an end among the 7th and the 8th place meanwhile starting from the 10th it wasabout to impossible to end better than 9th position.

Alonso was very very upset after the race and in the meeting that he has with the engineers after it, he told them off. I couldn't get the exact words of what it was said there, but the "softer" he said to Pat was something like "for this I would have stayed where I was" and something also like "if I can't choose the strategy why you want me for".

The subject is that the exchange of thoughts was good and it gave success in Montmelo. Fernando got the car like he wanted, when he wanted and where he wanted. That behavior unbeatable, plus the incredible capability of a two times world champio made the miracle.

The car on Friday was not running "smooth" and suddenly on Saturday everything was changed 180º degrees in favour. The summary of the "feat" can be drop into 2 parts: "know how" and "trustability".

The "know how" of Fernando, coming from the experience of how to adapt and make an inferior car to a better one, and the professionalism and trustability of all the group of engineers and mechanists to the Spaniard driver.

Personally I think that just only for this, it worth it the change of the team; and although Pat can come back to what happened just sometimes in the seasson, there will be the Briatore "figure" and possition, who has already told Pat subtly that the one indisplensable in Renault is Fernando Alonso; the rest there are NOT.

It seems to be that the English got the message and it is not probable that he will do another one similar to that one that can end with him getting something worst that telling him off.

In summary. I don't know where Renault can be able to end. Probably will not be able to fight for the world champioship to the unreachable Ferrari, but Renault can be able to hurt some others (only with a bit of new improvements) like McLaren and BMW, that now are VERY CLOSE TO RENAULT.

With the best driver in Renault and all the team trusting him completly, everything is possible.


Best regards


(translation from a post of Trastu)

Fernando is the true star of the team and the engineers believe in their job .

Thanks farruf, your work is incredible