Symonds speaks out

After a first day of practice on the circuit of Interlagos, Brazil, Renault's Pat Symonds explained how the team has approached this very important weekend. This weekend Fernando Alonso can become World Champion. But also in the Constructors' Championship a lot is on stake.

Interview with Pat Symonds

Pat, the cars did more laps than usual today. Why was that?
"It may seem a strange answer, but that’s because it’s a short lap. We have a mileage figure that we aim to reach with each set of tyres to assess their wear, and inform our choice for the weekend. So that’s what we did today, but because the lap is quite a short one, it looks like we did more running. But in fact, the mileage figures are very similar to other races this season."

You also ran in first practice more than normal…
"That’s true. At some races, we have had reasons not do: limited engine mileage, for example, or poor track conditions. But we have no concerns with the engines here, so we were able to run our normal procedures."

This could be a decisive weekend for Fernando and the team – what is the mood like in the Renault camp?
"It may sound surprising, but the championship context doesn’t make a difference. As a team, we have the belief we can win at least one of the titles, and we have believed it for quite a while. But we will only do that if we continue in the way that has brought us success so far this year. So we want to do the same solid job we have done all season."

And what do you think Fernando’s chances are of winning the title on Sunday?
"Well, that doesn’t depend only on us! But we are taking nothing for granted, and we are still pushing hard to improve the performance of the cars, and give ourselves the best opportunity of fighting not just for one championship, but both of them."