Drivers back Renault's decision
Renault have made the right decision in shifting their focus to preparations for the 2008 season, according to the team's drivers
"It is a decision made by the team and it is also the right one," said Heikki Kovalainen ahead of this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix.
"It is time to focus on next year now we have sorted some of the problems with this year's car and the wind tunnel, all that is correlating well and we are getting the right results from the wind tunnel time to shift focus," the Finn added.
Renault, world champions for the past two seasons, have struggled to match their previous success this year and look set to finish in fourth place in the standings.
The French squad are 38 points behind rivals BMW-Sauber with six races remaining, having scored a total of 33 points in 11 Grands Prix.
The team revealed this week that they are now focusing on next year instead of pushing for big developments this season.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella also backed the decision.
"Where we are right now I think it is the right decision," Fisichella told reporters. "We went ahead with the development of the car from the beginning of the season, but the gap between us and the leaders is too big.
"There is nothing to do even if we work 100 percent on the 2007 car until the end of the season, but then you are a little bit late with the 2008 car so it is the right decision."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
F1 teams and Pirelli had no warning of “painted” Shanghai track surface
FIA still chasing answers over bizarre Shanghai F1 grass fires
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
Friday favourite: Renault's original F1 title-winner that began the Alonso era
Why Renault's survivor wasn't part of Alpine's plans
WEC Imola: Ferrari remains on top in FP2 as Fuoco beats Porsche
WRC Croatia: Neuville, Evans tied for the lead after eight stages
WIN! A VIP Race Weekend Experience in Monaco
Lauda's 1976 German GP helmet to be auctioned at F1 Miami GP
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments