Renault's Eric Boullier credits teamwork for success this season: Formula One news
Renault’s team principal Eric Boullier has praised the efforts of his team in achieving two podium finishes in the opening two races of the 2011 Formula One season. Russian driver Vitaly Petrov claimed third position in the inaugural Australian Grand Prix
whereas his team-mate Nick Heidfeld achieved the same feat in Malaysia.
Boullier said, “We are happy to have achieved these podiums. We do not have the same means and resources as McLaren and Red Bull, but we have to make the most of it. I think we can compensate by having this good bunch of people correctly led and working
well.”
He further added, “We have to work a lot to close down on the first two teams, but definitely we want to put Ferrari out of reach if we can. It is a just reward for the team effort, the work, the new way we manage things together.”
Although Renault have done a terrific job in the season so far, the team are aware that they will need to work a lot harder to perform consistently.
Heidfeld was lucky to be on the podium at Sepang, as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had a collision during the race. Both drivers had to make an additional stop, which cost them a lot of time. They were also penalised by the race
stewards after the race.
This season has turned out to be a good one for Renault until now. The former constructors champions were unable to fight it out with the front runners during the 2010 season and ended up fifth. They were behind Mercedes GP last year, but are expecting to
improve this time around.
However, the R31 promised a lot during winter testing and its aggressive design was praised by one and all. Although the team was without their lead driver, Robert Kubica, this didn’t affect the performance at all.
The next Formula One race, which will take place in Shanghai on Sunday, 17th April, will give a better picture of where Renault stands compared to its rivals. Ferrari and Mercedes are expected to come hard in the next race, which may make things
difficult for the British team.
Tags: