Lotus Renault GP driver Nick Heidfeld says they are hoping to challenge Ferrari this season
Lotus Renault GP driver Nick Heidfeld has said that his team is hoping to challenge Ferrari in terms of points during the ongoing 2011 Formula 1 season.
Renault have scored two podium positions so far out of three races but they still trail Ferrari by 18 points.
Ferrari on the other hand have not scored a single podium so far but they have been more consistent as both Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso have finished amongst the points.
However, Nick Heidfeld believes that Renault have the capability to pull it off once again and score podiums ahead of Ferrari at the upcoming races.
It was expected that Renault and Ferrari would be one of the top running teams after their respective pre-season testing period results but now it seems that they are way behind McLaren and Red Bull Racing Team after three races of the 2011 season.
“I think that we can do that. It's certainly not going to be easy because we are competing with the likes of Ferrari now, who we will definitely try to beat. Mercedes seems to have improved and McLaren and Red Bull are still ahead, but the team's ambitions
and our targets are clear - we want to go to the top,” Heidfeld told the media.
Heidfeld stated that Renault should keep progressing and improve their car as the season has just begun. He said that they are already looking good as compared to their run in the 2010 season.
“We are working very hard, the team has made big improvements over the last one and a half years and if we can keep that development speed up, I think yes [we can maintain the early-season momentum],” he added.
Renault are currently in 4th place with 32 points in the constructors’ standings while Ferrari are in 3rd place with 50 points.
Nevertheless, with a minimum of 16 races still left in the season, both Ferrari and Renault can still bounce back and perform alongside the top running teams provided they improve their cars.
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