Alonso was fuelled for a long first stint but was unable to make the most of his strategy due to a relatively incident-free grand prix,
Renault's Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds later revealed.
“There is not much to report with either car as both drivers had uneventful races and there were not many strategic opportunities,” the 54-year-old mused. “It is clear we need to work hard on the car and improve it, as there is a big gap to the front.”
Piquet, meanwhile, in the sister R28, had a productive race, getting some much-needed mileage under his belt to wind up 13th.
“I am happy to have finished the race as this was my first objective after Melbourne,” enthused the upbeat Brazilian afterwards. “I have learned a lot today and I recognise that the group we are fighting with is very competitive and that you have to drive the perfect race, but I finished close to my team-mate and that is encouraging for me.
“The race was difficult and the car is still not competitive enough, but I am making progress and I hope to continue that at the next race in Bahrain.”
