Renault scuppered by engine failures

Renault were denied a certain points finish in the Belgian Grand Prix when Jarno Trulli's engine failed eight laps from home. The Italian was holding off Ralf Schumacher for fifth position at the time, but soon fell victim to a similar problem that forced out team-mate Jenson Button early in the race.

Sep 1, 2002, 3:09 PM

Engine chief Denis Chevrier acknowledged that the team's good work had been undone by engine unreliability.

"In the end, the race results was simple: two engine failures, each with a different cause, " said Chevrier. "However, as the numerous retirements today demonstrated, this is a demanding circuit from every point of view, and especially for the engine.

Trulli himself was pleased with his curtailed race performance, despite faliing to capitalise on his great getaway after making an error at La Source Hairpin.

"I got a very good start, but then accidentally hit the neutral button as I was going into the first corner, " he said. "I caught the slide, but lost the positions I had gained at the start. I pushed as hard as possible, and the gap held steady until Ralf's spin. I managed to keep Ralf behind - I think it would have been difficult for him to overtake, as I was quicker on the exit of the slow speed corners. "