Renault Blame Safety Car Periods for Poor Result

Renault technical director Mike Gascoyne blamed the two safety cars periods in today's British Grand Prix for failing to live up to the expectations raised after qualifying.

Italian Jarno Trulli, using a revised R23 chassis, had started from second place and took the lead of the race right at the start. His progress, however, was hampered by the safety car, which was deployed twice in the space of 12 laps.

"A very disappointing end to a competitive weekend," said Gascoyne. "The two safety car incidents ruined our race: Jarno was pulling away from the cars behind and, when he was in the lead, things were trouble-free. As soon as he fell back into traffic, though, his lack of straight-line speed hurt him and he lost places."

Italian Trulli was left with mixed emotions following a disappointing race that saw him finish in sixth position.

"Mixed feelings for me at the end of this race: on the positive side, I scored three more points, but it's a disappointing result given where I qualified," said the Italian. "The car was perfect at the start of the race, and I was pulling away from Raikkonen, but both safety car periods cost me.

"After my first stop, the car's handling changed, and I lost grip all the way round the circuit. I was pushing all the way through the race, and had to fight hard to defend my position: it was right on the limit a few items, but always fair. Overall, I am not sure whether to be satisfied or disappointed."

Spanish teammate Fernando Alonso retired with a gearbox problem on lap 53.