Mindful of its image, Renault is attempting to retain a brave face as its relationship with Jarno Trulli sinks to new depths.

Despite taking everyone by surprise at Spa, when he revealed that he had married long-time girlfriend Barbara, it's clear that Jarno's relationship with the French team is at an end. The question remains however, will it be allowed to last until the end of the season or will Renault simply decide that enough is enough and drop the Italian for the remainder of the year?

On home ground, both Trulli and team boss Flavio Briatore used the press to good effect at the weekend. The driver claiming that he was being forced out, his boss suggesting that he was mad. Either way, this is neither good for the team's image, nor for its championship aspirations.

Early in the summer, all was well. And though Alonso is clearly Briatore's 'blue-eyed boy', the team genuinely celebrated Trulli's excellent victory at Monaco.

However, even then there was talk that all was not well between Trulli and his team boss, rumours of a falling out over personal management issues. That said, the Alonso/Trulli partnership looked to be one of the best in the paddock, and it seemed impossible that the French team would wish to do anything to change it.

Then came the Italian's 'mistake' at Magny Cours, when he appeared to fall asleep at the last corner and allow Rubens Barrichello through to take the final podium place. After that, the relationship deteriorated with lightening speed.

Suddenly there was talk of the French team looking for a new partner for Alonso in 2005, followed by a curious personal press release from Trulli, in which he announced that he would be leaving the team at the end of the season.

Despite taking pole at Spa, the Italian's results since Magny-Cours have been less than impressive.

In the first ten races of the season, including France, Trulli scored points in all but one race (Canada), averaging 4.6 points per race. In the five races since France, the Italian has failed to add a single point to his, or Renault's, tally.

The reason for his failure to finish in the points at Monza is a mystery to all, not least his employers. However, the fact that he managed to post the fastest time in the first sector on the final lap, will not have been lost on anyone, and to all intents and purposes suggests a man saying "here's what I could have done".

As a result, BAR has taken second place in the constructors' championship, and thrown a spanner in the works as far as Renault's three-year plan is concerned.

As Briatore says, the team is determined to secure second place in the championship, so are we really to believe that it would give Trulli a 'dodgy' car. Yet at the same time, why has the relationship between the driver and the team's manager deteriorated so badly, and so quickly?

One can't help but feel that senior people at Renault will be watching this very carefully. Briatore does not own the team, he is 'merely' an employee. Furthermore his role as team boss and driver manager creates an unhealthy conflict of interests.

As for Jarno, there is talk that he may not be behind the wheel of a blue and yellow car in China, though it's hard to say who might replace him. There are several options, but none of them is realistic when one considers that it is so late in the season, and the runner-up spot is at stake.

All those involved have to put self interest aside and concentrate on the job in hand, and that means retaking the runner-up spot in the championship. It remains to be seen how some of the egos involved react in the next few days, just as it would be interesting to know what the senior management at Renault is thinking.