Briatore: Fisichella to Fight Back

The Italian had been in need of a good result at Sakhir to stop Renault teammate Fernando Alonso from further extending his advantage at the head of the World Championship, but he was left powerless to do anything after dropping out with an engine failure as Alonso stormed to the win.

That result means that Alonso currently has a 16-point advantage over Fisichella in the title standings, with Toyota's Jarno Trulli now having moved up to second place overall in the Championship.

But despite the uphill battle that Fisichella now faces if he is to keep his World Championship hopes alive, Renault boss Flavio Briatore is confident that this year's Australian Grand Prix winner will turn things around and hit back in style.

"We are all disappointed for Giancarlo, but I know he will fight back strongly at the next race," said Briatore, who saw Renault take their 100th victory in Formula One.

Fisichella said: "It is normal that I feel extremely disappointed after retiring from a race where I could have scored a very strong result.

"The car felt great on the first lap, when I gained positions and felt like I could get even more. Then, the engine lost power and I was called into the pits to retire. I hope things will go better in Italy in three weeks."