Formula One news

Piquet hoping to fight at the top

Nelsinho Piquet has revealed that he believes Renault are able to fight with the top teams this season, and at times contend for race victories. Due to a combination of technical problems and bad weather, the Brazilian has had a frustrating time in testing so far this year.

Piquet has been the slowest of the drivers Jerez's test so far this week, setting a time of 1.33.4 seconds on both Sunday and Monday. With both days plagued by poor weather conditions, the French team has also had to contend with tyre problems as well as a temperamental battery.

"I think we are now in the transition between working on the set-up and working on issues on the car. So slowly we are getting there. The car is already a different story compared to the last time I drove here," Nelson explained to Autosport.

Looking towards to the Australian Grand Prix and the start of his second season in F1, Piquet is optimistic that Renault can be battling at the front of the grid: "You know McLaren and Ferrari are going to be quick because they are two top teams with the best budgets and the most people working on the car. But I don't think we will be too far off, if not fighting with them."

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