Zoom A huge late season boost for Renault

Renault Technical Director Bob Bell looks back on the successful weekend in Singapore for the Renault team and ahead to this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. Renault has moved fourth in the constructors' standings, five points clear of Toyota. This is a position the team hope to retain over the final three rounds of the championship.

Bob, the R28 is now a race winning car. The whole team must be proud of what has been achieved?
"Absolutely. We started out the year over a second a lap behind the frontrunners and we said that by the end of the season we wanted to have developed the car to a point where we could compete for podiums, which is what we’ve done. We recognise that we’re not going to overhaul McLaren and Ferrari this season, but we can be in the mix and fighting for podiums and that’s a real credit to the enormous amount of development work and effort that has gone in over the course of the season."

Why was the R28 so competitive in Singapore?
"I think it was down to a combination of reasons, one of which was the new venue and the fact that Fernando and the team are both very good at dealing with new challenges. The team arrived in Singapore well prepared, which helped us get the best out of the car; we had an aerodynamic upgrade and we operated it differently in terms of set-up, which gained us a bit of performance. So it was just a step forward in all areas, which culminated in us having a car that really suited the track and the conditions. "

Luck undoubtedly played its part in the team’s victory in Singapore, but Fernando produced a brilliant tactical drive. What was your verdict on his performance?
"For me it was the Fernando of old – he never gave up and when the time came to really push hard to gain an advantage he did so and brought home the maximum points. There was certainly an element of luck with the safety car, but Fernando had been on it all weekend and after the second safety car he pulled out an immediate gap over Rosberg and Hamilton, which confirmed the pace of the car and what an outstanding job he did."

What does this result mean for the team and for morale?
"It’s very important because this team has been through a very difficult period since the championship years of 2005 and 2006. We needed to bounce back and regain our self confidence and demonstrate that as a team we could still produce a competitive car and win races. We’ve done that and the result has lifted everybody’s morale for the final three races, but more importantly renewed our self-belief, which is so important for next year."