“I think it's different when you start a season with a good car,” the 22-year-old insisted. “It's never easy when you are fighting in the middle of the group compared to having a car that is easily winning races and fighting only with another team.

“For me it was more difficult in the beginning. Obviously that's not an excuse – I mean, Lewis did a perfect job in the beginning – but at the moment, with my learning phase, it's very important to finish races; every lap I'm doing I am learning.

“Hopefully race-by-race I am going to improve myself and get more comfortable with everything and we'll get there. We have to improve in qualifying and get that sorted, [so as] not to get all this traffic in the race, because that's what's costing us points.

“The team are very supportive [and] they are trying to help me as much as I need though, so I have nothing to complain about. Obviously I want to score points, but it will come sooner or later.”

Alonso has registered all nine of the French outfit's points to-date this year, with the Spaniard's experience paying dividends as he survived the chaos of Melbourne to finish fourth in the season curtain-raiser, and sensationally qualified on the front row of the grid on home soil in Barcelona following significant improvements to the Enstone-based concern's hitherto unloved R28.

Seemingly chastened by the lessons of 2007, however, Briatore insisted it was imperative Renault allow Piquet all the help and time he needs to learn the ropes in what is likely the highest-pressure environment that he has encountered in his career to-date.

“Nelsinho definitely has talent,” the Italian stressed in an interview with Reuters before the Turkish race. “Nelsinho is a part of the team and we need to support him. I don't have any doubts about Nelsinho.”