Formula One news

Costly mistakes for Renault

The ING Renault F1 Team endured a disappointing afternoon at the Nürburgring during the 2007 European Grand Prix. During a dramatic race run in changeable conditions, the team failed to take advantage of the opportunity to out-score championship rivals BMW, taking home just one point with Heikki Kovalainen's eight-place finish.

The team will now look to regroup at this week's three-day test in Jerez, pursuing its development programme with further evaluations of new aerodynamic components as it looks to close the gap to the teams in front.

Heikki Kovalainen said: "There is not too much to say about this afternoon, to be honest. We took some gambles, especially with the wet tyres during my final stop, and they didn't pay off. I had to look after my wet tyres on a dry track until the rain came, and it just took too much out of them to be an advantage. But from the position we were in, with one stop still to make, it was a gamble worth taking. This hasn't been a good day for the team, but we managed to score one point at least. There is an important test coming up this week, the last before the summer break, and it will be important to get some good answers there, to help us find the right track again in Hungary and Turkey.

Giancarlo Fisichella commented: "We had the opportunity to do well today, but we didn't take advantage of it. I lost positions with an extra lap on slicks at the beginning, and then queuing in the pits behind Heikki too. After that, we had to run with some heavy fuel loads, and although the car balance was OK, the performance wasn't really there. It has been a tough weekend since Friday morning, and we will be working hard before Hungary to make sure we are in a better position when practice begins in Budapest."

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