23/05/2005
NEWS STORY
Pat, what went wrong for you in Monaco?
Pat Symonds, Renault F1, Executive Director of Engineering: The problem we experienced in the race was extreme rear tyre wear. We are fully aware that rivals using softer tyres than ours did not have this problem, and therefore it must be something in the way our car is using its tyres. The problem is amplified at a circuit such as Monaco with the heavy demands it places on the rear tyres, and its magnitude simply caught us out last weekend.
Can you say a word about the drivers' performance in the race?
PS: I think they both did an astounding job – to bring both cars to the finish in those circumstances, rather than ending up in the barriers, is a significant achievement. There is no criticism whatsoever of either of them. Fisi certainly suffered from having to wait during his stop, and his tyre wear was even more severe than his team-mate's. Fernando defended his position with extreme skill to finish fourth.
Is this performance a worry for the next race in the Nuerburgring?
PS: I don't think so – the Nuerburgring is poles apart from Monaco in the characteristics it demands of the car, and I see no reason at all why we should not be extremely competitive there, as we have been at every other circuit this season. We learned a lesson in Monaco, and we will be looking at how we can begin applying solutions to the problems from the next race onwards.