Renault director of engineering Pat Symonds has welcomed the improved level of morale within the team after the Spanish Grand Prix, but insists that there are still things that it needs to get right if it is to be a consistent threat.
The
regie was boosted not only by
Fernando Alonso's front row grid slot in Barcelona, but also by Nelson Piquet's improvement in form, which saw the Brazilian rookie make the final phase of qualifying for the first time. Unfortunately, the promise was not to last on race day, with Alonso sidelined early on by an engine problem, and Piquet removed from the equation by a collision with
Sebastien Bourdais.
"There is a great deal more confidence at the moment, although I think it's fair to say that the belief that we would progress has always been there because nearly all the guys in the team have been through the winning experience of a couple of years ago," Symonds said, "The last few weeks have been very hard for the team, so there is no better reward than seeing the evidence on the track of all the work that has gone on. It makes everybody upbeat and ready to put a lot more in for the coming weeks.
"Although we were confident that we had improved, all that really mattered was how much we had improved compared to the others. It was not until Saturday afternoon and qualifying that we had a true idea of where we stood. To get both cars into the top ten in qualifying was a big relief, as we now know that the pace really is there relative to the others.
"Fernando was pretty upbeat after the race, which is a good attitude to have because, although it's terribly disappointing to have the promise unfulfilled, it's better than not having any promise at all. That's the attitude the whole team has taken to the result, because we were racing a lot closer towards the front than we have been for a considerable period of time.
