Renault's Hungarian Reprieve
The Hungarian Grand Prix could have ended in a total disaster for the Renault team, but somehow the rollercoaster weekend left the French team in the same position as they were beforehand. Renault's director of engineering Pat Symonds talks Adam Cooper through one of the most bizarre weekends he has ever had to deal with
Fernando Alonso and Renault were at the heart of the extraordinary Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. The reigning world champion earned his now infamous qualifying penalty on Friday, and on Sunday he appeared to have turned disaster into triumph when he surged into the lead, both passing Michael Schumacher for position and lapping him in the same event.
It all went wrong when a stray wheel nut saw him catapulted into retirement just as Michael Schumacher began to look like a threat for serious points. The emotional rollercoaster then took another upward surge when the German retired, allowing Alonso to leave Hungary knowing that things could have been much, much worse.
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