Grid Crasher’s verdict so far on Flavio Briatore’s team

RENAULT
Drivers Nelsinho Piquet (Brazil) & Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Championship points 15

Read our verdict on Renault below:

Tell us something we don’t know

German newspaper FAZ reports that Alonso is losing patience with Renault. No news there, but we were interested to read that the feeling may be mutual.

One Renault engineer is quoted as saying: “Fernando thinks only about Fernando. (In Canada) he wasn’t even at the after-race briefing.”

Alonso may be a former world champion, but that means little if he’s perceived as a selfish, trouble-making brat. There are many fast, hungry young drivers out there who would be less hassle to deal with. If the Spaniard is not careful, he’ll end up with nowhere left to go in F1. Nando to IndyCar, anyone?

F1 team’s 2008 car under suspicion?

Renault’s Director of Engineering, Pat Symonds, has shrugged off suggestions that his team’s 2008 car, the dog-ugly R28, is somehow implicated in last year’s spying scandals.

It has emerged that Renault delayed using a suspension innovation until recently, following the scandal surrounding engineer Phil Mackereth, who defection to Renault from McLaren in 2007. Mackereth was accused of bringing over McLaren technical secrets to Renault - something he did without the knowledge of the French team.

Grid Crasher’s daily link dump

NFL star Randy Moss (pictured) plans to start his own Nascar Craftsman Truck team in 2009. At the moment he lacks a manufacturer, a driver and a sponsor. Apart from that, he’s good to go. [Jalopnik]

Herr Max Mosley has failed in his bid to prevent the French enjoying his “Nazi orgy” sex video. Merde! [ITV]

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.