A Renault-powered car
finishes on the podium for the fifth consecutive race this season. Unbroken
run of podiums for Renault-powered teams since season start in Australia.
Infiniti Red Bull Racing drivers Sebastian
Vettel and Mark Webber finish fourth and fifth, making a third of the top
ten Renault-powered. Two Renault powered teams(Infiniti Red Bull Racing and
Lotus F1 Team) are first and third in the constructors’ championship.
Renault-powered teams have scored a total of 242 points this year.
Lotus F1 Team’s
Kimi Raikkonen drove a measured race in today’s Spanish Grand Prix to
finish in second position behind race winner Fernando Alonso. The result is the
Renault-powered driver’s fourth podium in five races and his third consecutive
podium visit, which closes the gap to the top of the drivers’ title to just
four points. Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel passed the flag in
fourth, while team-mate Mark Webber came home fifth.
Williams F1
Team’s Pastor Maldonado was classified in 14th having lost some time with a
drivethrough penalty for exceeding the pitlane speed limit. Valtteri Bottas
claimed 16th. Caterham F1 Team consolidated its improving form, with Charles
Pic finishing ahead of both Marussia cars and within striking distance of the
Williams of Bottas. The young Frenchman finished 17th.
There were two retirements amongst the Renault-powered
cars; Romain Grosjean stopped on lap
eight with a broken rear suspension, while Caterham’s Giedo van der Garde
retired on lap 21 when his left rear wheel came loose.
The result consolidates Red Bull’s lead in the
constructors’ championship, with 131 points to Ferrari’s 117. Lotus sits just
behind with 111. In the drivers’ race, Vettel leads with 89 points, four clear
of Raikkonen.
Rémi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 head of track operations
A very positive result for Renault today: a Renault powered
car has been on the podium every race so far this year and two of our teams are
now fighting for the lead of both championships. Kimi drove a great race today
to split the Ferraris, while Sebastian and Mark got the most they could out of
the situation. Caterham has also moved forward, with Charles ahead of the
Marussias and mixing it with some of the more established teams ahead.
Working hand in hand with the teams is more important
than ever this year as tyres and tyre strategy have unfortunately become one of
the most important elements of the racing action. There are some key areas we
can help with as engine stability and torque response can square up the car. Deciding
on engine mixes also becomes a tactical challenge: you don’t want to put too
much fuel in at the start to weigh the car down and increase the wear, but
equally you want enough left in the tank to push at the end of the race when
positions can be made up. It’s something we work very hard with the teams on as
it can make a real difference to track position and therefore opportunities –
and we are still learning a lot in this area.
We move on now to Monaco, which is a very different
track, but one that plays to the strengths of the Renault engine. The slow
speed corners require good driveability and engine response and these are
definitely some of the advantages of the RS27. Red Bull has a good track record
there, with wins in the last three years and some of Renault’s best finishes
have been achieved on the track. It’s something we are looking forward to as we
believe we can get some good results for all our partners.
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