> Symonds hails Renault milestone

Renault’s engineering chief Pat Symonds says the team’s achievement in winning the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships for the second straight year underlines its true quality.

In 2005, Fernando Alonso and Renault saw off a stern challenge from Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren, while in 2006 they beat Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in a highly charged duel that went down to the last race.

Symonds reckons there can now be no doubt that Renault deserves its place in the pantheon of great Formula 1 teams.

“To win a world title is always an honour for the people involved. But to do the same again the following year, with a double championship victory, is an achievement that really deserves recognition,” he said.

“It proves that the previous year’s success was in no way lucky.

“These results are the consequence of a clearly-defined strategy, and unstinting work from the whole team.”

Symonds admits that beating Ferrari was a Herculean task, especially after controversial decisions by governing body the FIA put Renault on the back foot.

“First of all, the battle on track was tough. Really tough,” he said.

“Our rivals didn’t seem to have any weaknesses, or almost none. We had to seize every little opportunity.

“And it was a difficult season politically as well. It was hard to come to terms with events like the mass damper affair and Fernando’s penalty in Monza.

“We worked very hard to keep everybody motivated. We explained the situation to them, and made sure everybody remained confident.

“They were already world champions, and there was no reason why they could not do it again.”