Renault: Monaco won't be a one-off

Giancarlo Fisichella took Renault's best result of the season in Monaco by qualifying and finishing fourth.

"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," Permane told the team's website.

"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..."

Permane said that even though Monte Carlo can produce unusual results, he was confident that the progress Renault demonstrated on the street track would be replicated elsewhere.

"You only need to look at the balance of power between McLaren and Ferrari: after winning in Bahrain and Barcelona, (Felipe) Massa finished over a minute behind (Fernando) Alonso in Monaco. So the circuit certainly suits some cars better than others," he said.

"We know that it is traditionally a strong track for us, but our work in testing before the race certainly gave us reason to feel optimistic for the next races - not just Monaco.

"I believe that on a more normal circuit, we will be within striking distance of BMW.

"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."

Renault are currently fourth in the constructors' championship, 14 points behind BMW.