Formula One news

Renault: 'Make-or-break' for Fisi

Renault technical director Bob Bell has said it's now or never for Giancarlo Fisichella to win the drivers' title in 2007. The Italian, who will be 34 when the season starts in March, becomes the team's leading driver after Fernando Alonso's move to McLaren. He will be joined next season by Renault's talented young protégé Heikki Kovalainen, as yet another hot prospect gets promoted into F1.

"If he doesn't find it this year, then I doubt if he ever will," Bell told the Times.

"This, I think, really is a make-or-break year for Fisi. All we can do as a team is have confidence in his ability to rise to the challenge. We will give him the best equipment we humanly can and give him all the support we humanly can and see where that takes us."

Looking at the 2006 season, it would seem Fisichella has a lot of catching up to do. He finished fourth in the drivers' standings on 72 points whilst his team-mate Alonso scored almost double with 134 on his way to his second drivers' title for Renault. Furthermore, Fisichella notched just one win compared to Alonso's seven. Bell is adamant, however, that Fisichella is still in the running.

"I wouldn't write the guy off at all," he said. "We will certainly start the season working completely on the assumption that Fisi is as capable of winning the world championship as Fernando [Alonso] or anybody else working at that level."

Bell believes that his strength is in recovering from setbacks and this will stand him in good stead over the course of the 17-race season.

"Fisi is great at coming back," Bell added. "When he has had a bad race, he is good at putting it behind him."

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