Renault worries opposition
Renault's recent long-distance Formula 1 testing runs have raised concerns from its rivals that the French manufacturer might spring the surprise of the season in 2004
According to analysis by AUTOSPORT magazine, Fernando Alonso's pace during a race simulation last Wednesday was much quicker than those by Luca Badoer (Ferrari), Ralf Schumacher (Williams) and Jenson Button (BAR).
According to calculations - which cannot be definitive due to variables such as tyres, fuel and set-up - Alonso would have built a 5sec lead on Schumacher over 10 laps. Button was third best, with Badoer weighing in with the slowest pace over the distance, almost 10secs shy of Alonso.
Speaking to autosport.com on Wednesday regarding the subject, Jaguar's Mark Webber admitted: "Renault is looking strong in long runs. The Williams is good overall, but Renault is the strongest in the long runs."
Renault's director of engineering, Pat Symonds, told AUTOSPORT: "We are in reasonable shape, but we are not at the top yet and I don't think people should be expecting us to be. If you look at the average time, everyone is very close, but what fuel load did people have in?"
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