Renault aim for podium finish in Singapore
Renault are seeking to score another podium victory this season by setting their sights on the Singapore Grand Prix. Star-driver Robert Kubica, who has earned three podium finishes for Renault this season, failed to make an impact at the Italian Grand Prix, but Renault boss Eric Boullier is optimistic that the remaining five tracks will be better suited to the car’s set-up.
“Frankly in Italy we were not expecting to be in the same form as Spa, but dreaming of getting two cars in the points was maybe a little bit ambitious," Boullier stated in an interview with AutoSport. “It would have been a good weekend here if we could have saved face and done this, but unfortunately it did not turn out to be like that. We were not expecting to be as fast or as good as Spa. But if I take all the package that we have now in a high-downforce configuration, things look promising. Our F-duct is working very well, our blown floor is working very well now and definitely on a traditional track layout like Singapore or Japan that are coming, we should be in a much better position, and I would not be surprised if we had the same form as Spa.”
The F-duct aerodynamic device, pioneered by McLaren, has become instantly popular among several F1 teams. Allowing for rear wings to be installed at a higher speed without breaking F1 regulation, the F-duct introduces more stability, as well as versatility on the track. According to Boullier, Renault have another update to complete for R30, and he is hopeful that Kubica can execute the advantages of the product as well as he did as Spa.
So far this has been an eventful second-half of the season for the Renault team, whose company has sealed a deal with Team Lotus to supply their engine for the 2011 season, and have been addressed with the possibility of signing F1 legend Kimi Raikkonen next year if Vitaly Petrov fails to perform up to par.
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