Fisichella: Renault back on form

The French squad, yet to score a podium in five races, enjoyed their strongest performance of the year at the Monaco Grand Prix, with Fisichella qualifying and finishing in fourth position for his best result of the season so far.

That performance has left Fisichella upbeat on his chances for the race in Montreal, where the Renault driver believes the world champions will show they are back in the fight at the sharp end of the field.

"I think that we can be optimistic," said Fisichella in a team preview. "Things have improved for us in the last weeks, the car balance is better, and the overall grip is higher too. Both factories are working flat out to improve the car even more, and all the members of the team are pushing to the limit.

"They have done a fantastic job so far. That hard work will definitely pay off, and I am confident that in Montreal, we will show we're back on form."

Renault's head of race engineering Alan Permane echoed Fisichella's comments, and he reckons the French squad will now be able to fight with BMW Sauber for the position as third quickest time.

"I believe that on a more normal circuit, we will be within striking distance of BMW," said Permane. "Until now, we have been racing with one eye on our mirrors, looking out for the midfield pack that includes Williams, Toyota and Red Bull.

"With the developments we introduced in Monaco, and those we have planned for the next races, I think we have given ourselves a cushion to that midfield group - and added the performance that can allow us to race aggressively against the cars in front."

Permane admits, however, that Renault have still a long way to go after finishing over a lap down on winners McLaren at Monaco.

"Everybody in the team has been working very hard over the past few months to turn the situation around, and Monaco was the first sign of that work bearing fruit on track," he added.

"It has traditionally been a good circuit for the team, and the improvements we have made to the car showed their worth on Saturday and Sunday. But although we finished fourth, we were a lap behind the leaders. That shows there is a still a long way to go."