Symons: Our aim is Ferrari

By role
March 9 2004

Pat Symonds, Executive Engineer of Renault F1, was quite sattisfied with the podium result on this weekend's Australian Grand Prix. He expects the team to be even more competitive at Sepang where the heat will better affect the Michelin tires.

In an interview for Renault's official site the British engineer tells that he was surprised by the race pace of Ferrari:

" I wasn't really surprised by our performance. I was, though, by Ferrari's! During the winter, it is hard to know what everybody is up to; that's doubly true of Ferrari, as they tested separately from the other teams during the winter. Having said that, this circuit maybe didn't allow us to fully capitalise on the strongest features of our package: I would have preferred to see slightly higher temperatures. What's more, Albert Park is always a place where Ferrari seem to go well. As for Renault, our podium was the result of a disciplined, well-managed weekend. That's a good sign." He said. "We beat Williams, McLaren and BAR in the race, but I am sure they will bounce back. There is no doubt they will prove tough to beat. In my opinion, the 2004 season will prove a lot closer than the first race might seem to indicate."

Symonds wanted to acknowledge Alonso's effort during the weekend and his fight to get a podium:

"Fernando drove an excellent race, he was robust when necessary and consistent. Our tyres were fantastic, and we had chosen with an eye on the cooler temperatures predicted for the race. The engine performed strongly all weekend, and the set-up we found meant the cars were well balanced." Symonds said.

The aim for Symonds is quite clear for Sepang, to beat Ferrari:

"We go to each race with the ultimate objective of winning. But will we be able to do better in Malaysia than Australia? Yes, it's possible. I am sure we will be closer to the Ferraris. Of course, beating them is going to be a tough job, but that will be our aim." He concluded.