Renault’s chief geek admits car has underperformed

Renault’s director of engineering, the straight-talking Pat Symonds, has admitted that the performance of the team’s R28 car has failed to meet their expectations:

“It (the car) doesn’t appear to have a particularly difficult sweet spot - so early indications say there’s nothing much wrong with the car other than it needs more aero efficiency, could do with slightly better ride, but nothing beyond that,” Symonds told Autosport.

Unless it improves spectacularly, the pig-ugly R28 could go down in history as one of the worst F1 cars ever to be produced by a supposed top team. Fernando Alonso is obviously having no fun driving it – and he is a brilliant driver when it comes to squeezing every last drop of performance from a sub-standard car. If Alonso can’t steer the R28 onto the podium, then team-mate Nelson Piquet, yet to score a point in three races, has almost no chance. Dark days for Renault fans.