Alonso finishes 4th at Brazil!

By role
October 25 2004

In one of the best races of the season Fernando Alonso was able to finish 4th in quite difficult conditions as he was being challenged by several cars. Renault started the race with a quite aggressive strategy going with dry tires as the rest of the field were running intermediate.

After a thrilling star both Alonso and Villeneuve started to loose pace and positions in favour of those drivers that were in tyres better suited fro the track.

However, after two laps the conditions at the track were changing rapidly and Alonso started a set of best laps that saw him on the lead when the rest of the field had to pit to change to dry tyres.

Alonso lapped as fast as he could with the R24 though it was not enough to be in front of the Williams BMW of Juan Pablo Montoya and the McLaren Mercedes of Kimi Raikkonen who overtook the Spaniard.

Alonso, had a tough race as he had to fight for position inmost of the race and was able to hold on 4th at the end while being chased by Ralf Schumacher, Takuma Sato and Michael Schumacher.

The Spaniard had decided not to change front tyres on his last stop and was suffering from lack of grip during the last 20 laps of his last stint:

"The choice to start on dry tyres was really a big risk: the car was very hard to drive and I went off on the formation lap and the first lap! However, it gradually got better and I managed to take the lead, but after the first stop, I didn't have the pace to get on the podium. The car was understeering badly because of the graining during the second stint then we took a risk in leaving the tyres on. This meant I ultimately lost more grip but in spite of the problems, I attacked 100% all the way through, kept the other cars behind and thanks to that, I am fourth in the drivers' championship. That was my main goal today and I am delighted to have achieved it." He said after the race.

Jacques Villeneuve on the other hand continued to push hard top try to scotre his first points for the Renault team but had to settle for 10th though showing a much improved race pace:

"I think my race pace was actually very good today. I was behind Fernando in the first laps and it would have been too much of a risk to try overtaking in the conditions. I lost time when the track was wet but after that, I feel we were quite quick in the second and third stints. I didn't manage to score any points at Renault but I think my performances got better and better with each race. It was very tough to adapt but I want to thank Renault for the opportunity they gave me." Said Villeneuve.

Alonso had his aim directed towards the 4th place on the Driver’s Championship and therefore he was fighting hard not to loose it against Juan Pablo Montoya. Finishing worse than 4th at Brazil would have meant the Colombian overtaking the Spaniard in the standings.

"This is a good result: Fernando's fourth place confirms our third position in the constructors' championship and also allows him to take fourth in the drivers' standings. Jacques also did a solid job and I don't think his final position reflects his true pace. We are pleased to finish the season having met our objectives, which were to be in the top three at the end of the year, and Fernando's tenacity during the race reflects the commitment with which the entire team has worked right up to the final race." Said Flavio Briatore after the race.

Pat Symonds was also pleased after the race with his driver’s effort:

"It was a pleasure to see the season end with such an exciting race. The tyre choice at the start was extremely difficult and much more so than usual in those kinds of conditions, because the circuit seemed very slippery indeed. However, we got it right and that helped our race. Fernando's excursion on the opening lap hindered him but he drove exceptionally to take the lead in very tricky conditions. He was slowed by severe graining during his second stint so we decided not to change his front tyres at the second stop. Unfortunately, he lost grip in the final part of the race but his defence of fourth place was masterful. As for Jacques, his speed increased throughout the race and his final stint was extremely competitive. It has been a pleasure to work with him and we wish him well at Sauber." He added.