Renault gets reality check

"This was certainly a very difficult race for us," said executive director of engineering Pat Symonds. "Jarno Trulli lost position on the opening lap, putting him in the gaggles of cars stuck behind Raikkonen, and both drivers then lost a lot of time behind slower competitors after their first stop.

"Fernando Alonso had a problem with the steering rack on lap 14, which caused him to run wide. This problem slowed him down throughout the remained of the race. Overall, this is not a satisfying result, but getting two cars to the finish has allowed us to increase the gap to our pursuers in the championship."

Trulli eventually came home in fourth place, trailed home by his team-mate, but the Italian Monaco winner says that his brushes with Takuma Sato could have cost him the few points he did notch up.

"I made a good start but the race was nearly over at the first corner," said Trulli. "If I hadn't opened the door, Sato would have taken me out. I was third behind him and Michael when, two corners later, he made a mistake so I took the inside line through turn 4 but he closed the door.

"His right front wheel hit my front left and I nearly lost the car - in the confusion, I pressed the pit-lane speed limiter button and that cost me a number of positions."

Next on the agenda is the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal. That race is traditionally a good one for Renault (and the Benetton team out of which it grew), so the Anglo-French squad may be optimistic of fighting with Ferrari one again when the circus crosses the Atlantic.