Renault pushing for Montreal points

"We are expecting another strong performance in Montreal," said technical director Mike Gascoyne. "A car needs to change direction well in the chicanes and handle over the bumps, as well as being stable under heavy braking. We are good in all those areas."

After a strong start to the season, Jenson Button has failed to score points in the past three grands prix. He's determined to end the first half of 2002 on a high, but he'll have to improve on his previous Canadian GP form, which has seen him start his two races there from 18th and 20th position

"Montreal is a strange circuit," he said. "There's not really much to it - lots of chicanes and no real challenging high-speed corners, which are what I enjoy most. The track will rubber in throughout the weekend, so the last run in qualifying will definitely be the quickest."

"You need a car that can ride the kerbs in the chicanes, which we know we have from our strong performance in Imola. I'm confident the car will work well there."

In its former Benetton guise, the team won at Canada in 1991 with Nelson Piquet and again in 1994 as part of Michel Schumacher's championship success. It also took a number of podium positions in the hands of drivers such as Giancarlo Fisichella, Jean Alesi and Thierry Boutsen.