The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team scored its sixth podium of the year this afternoon at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso distinguished himself with a consistent and aggressive drive to third place, which he claimed at the start. Running a three-stop strategy, Alonso built a fifteen second gap over Montoya's Williams which he then controlled for much of the race.

Jarno Trulli made an equally impressive start and was sixth at the end of an incisive first lap which saw him overtake Takuma Sato into turn 4. However, at the end of his second stint, the Italian began suffering from severe understeer. He made his pit-stop as planned but the condition worsened during his third stint, and the team decided to bring his third stop forward to try and correct the problem. Soon after, though, the engine cut out following a loss of oil pressure and Trulli was forced to retire.

Overall, the team leaves Hungary with mixed feelings. Another podium is a reward for a strong weekend's work, and is also Fernando's second in a row, but the team nevertheless loses one point to BAR in the constructors' standings.

Fernando Alonso: "It was a pretty calm race for me, maybe a little bit lonely even. The start was a bit close when Sato tried to block me and I had to brake a little, which might have cost me second position at the first corner. Once I was in third, though, it was just a matter of managing the gap to Montoya and maintaining a constant pace. I didn't make any mistakes, and neither did the team during the pit-stops. I am quite pleased to score my second podium in a row, and it was good to finish ahead of our main rivals."

Jarno Trulli: "I think my retirement was caused by the engine: I lost power then it cut out. However, I was already having difficulties at that stage. Ever since just before my second stop, I was having big problems with the front of the car: it was understeering so much that I was losing several seconds a lap. I am very frustrated because during the first stint, I was following Button easily and felt I was faster than him."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: "Ferrari were unbeatable today, but I am pleased for Fernando that he got onto the podium again. The R24 was fast at this circuit and our consistency in the race was very good. However, when you are fighting for second in the championship, you need two cars in the points at each race. We didn't manage that today, but it will be imperative to do so if we want to maintain our position until the end of the season."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "Fernando made an excellent start and he drove a good race, going consistently fast at every stage. His is a well-deserved podium finish. Looking at Jarno's race, he began suffering from a lot of understeer just before his second pit-stop and we therefore brought his third stop forward to try and correct the problem. Unfortunately, he retired soon after following a loss of engine oil."