Renault's director of engineering Pat Symonds and lead driver
Fernando Alonso have admitted that the
Regie heads to Valencia for the European Grand Prix this weekend in buoyant mood as it seeks to try and secure fourth in the
Formula One championship standings.
The team heads into the first event on the streets of the Spanish city buoyed by strong results in the two races prior to the summer break, with Nelson Piquet's podium in German being followed by a top eight finish for both drivers last time out in Hungary.
The latter of those two in particular has boosted confidence within the team after both drivers produced competitive performances on race day and Alonso said the team was now full of motivation for the remainder of the year as it seeks to secure fourth in the standings ahead of
Toyota and
Red Bull.
We're certainly continuing to improve, which is very encouraging, the Spaniard reflected. We were on the pace in Hungary, the car felt good and we showed we are still moving forward and that we will fight hard to finish in fourth place in the championship. It was important also to get a solid result before the summer break: it's good for the mood in the team and means we can come back motivated for the rest of the year.
The Valencia weekend will mark the second home round of the year for double champion Alonso, although he will hope for more luck that in Barcelona earlier in the campaign when he was forced out with an engine problem having qualified on the front row of the grid.
I'm very happy to be driving at home for a second time: it's always a special feeling to race in front of my countrymen and I'm really looking forward to it, he said. In Barcelona we were having a strong race when I had to retire, but I hope this time I can get a good result as the circuit will be new for all the drivers.
