Renault expect tough battle in Malaysia

But the Briton reckons the battle for the top spot will be very hard.

"Basically we hope it'll go like in Bahrain, but the conditions are very different: the circuit, the external temperature, and the engine's operating temperature," Symonds told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I expect another hard battle with Ferrari and McLaren, and Honda will join in too."

Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso started his title defence in style by winning the Bahrain Grand Prix for the second year in a row.

The Spanish driver beat Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen who, despite starting from the back of the grid, completed an impressive run to finish in third place.

Symonds said Raikkonen's drive was extraordinary.

"True, because Kimi had the same tyres as Fernando and did extraordinary things," he added.

Ferrari also looked very competitive in Bahrain, with Schumacher starting from pole and fighting for victory. Symonds believes the Italian squad had the advantage of having tested in Bahrain before the Grand Prix weekend.

"They (Ferrari) had tyres which allowed them to be quick immediately, while the Michelins turned out to be more efficient at the end of the stints because they degraded less," Symonds added. "Ferrari are competitive, but they benefited from the tests in Bahrain."

Symonds, however, claimed that Alonso could have pushed harder if needed.

"At one point we told him to control the race, but he would have done it by himself, without us suggesting it."