Renault frustrated by double failure

Trulli was running sixth when he slowed with an engine command problem which led to his eventual retirement on lap 46, while Alonso had retired two laps earlier in a cloud of white smoke.

"Fernando's car suffered a sudden engine failure, which we discovered at the same time as everyone else," said Renault's engine operations manager Denis Chevrier. "Ascertaining Jarno's problem is more difficult. He was suffering a performance loss and the cause we cannot yet determine. Without an examination of the car, we are unable to confirm any of our numerous hypotheses."

Team boss Flavio Briatore commented: "The weekend had gone well for the team until the problems in the race. We were quite competitive, and could have scored some important points, instead of which we leave empty handed. We will now work hard to solve these problems, and concentrate on the next race at Silverstone."