Fernando Alonso left the Istanbul Park circuit in high spirits after finishing sixth in the Turkish Grand Prix – insisting that
Renault is in increasingly strong shape, even if the
Régie's performance didn't quite live up to that of Barcelona two weeks earlier.
The three points registered by the Spaniard have hoisted him up into eighth spot in the drivers' standings, and kept Renault firmly in touch in the battle over fourth place in the constructors' title chase too, with
Williams,
Red Bull Racing and
Toyota. The 26-year-old double
Formula 1 World Champion was pleased with both his and the team's performance in Istanbul, after prevailing ahead of
Mark Webber,
Nico Rosberg,
David Coulthard and former team-mate
Jarno Trulli in a close midfield scrap.
“We were on the pace this weekend and scored some valuable points,” Alonso underlined, “which confirms the progress we have made recently that is thanks to the hard work of everyone in the team. I made a good start, which was essential for a strong race and after that everything went smoothly.
“We had a good strategy, the car was well-balanced and there were no problems with the tyres, so I am happy. Now we must continue working hard to catch up with the leading teams, but we are in good shape.”
Team-mate Nelsinho Piquet, by contrast, eventually trailed home in 15th, enjoying some energetic battles along the way that included most notably a supremely brave move all the way around the outside of
Honda's
Jenson Button in the tight turn twelve left-hander.
“I am satisfied with my performance,” the Brazilian rookie asserted. “My race started badly as I had to avoid the accident at the start which held me up. After that we just stuck to our strategy and tried to make up ground.
