Moving forward all the time - Fisico

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The ING Renault F1 Team's Italiand driver, Giancarlo Fisichella, looks forward to round nine of the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Just like last weekend, it's a home Grand Prix for Renault as all the people working at Enstone will be there to support their team.

Giancarlo, you started fifth and finished sixth in France. Was that a welcome result after two non-scores in North America?

"Absolutely! It was frustrating not to have been able to keep the BMWs behind, or even to make up positions in the race, but the first priority was to finish. After that, the next positive was that we had the pace to fight very closely with BMW in Magny-Cours. We perhaps made a mistake when it came to our second stint, and certainly we would have preferred to gain ground on our rivals, rather than lose six points. Having said that, though, there are more positives than negatives to take from the weekend."

How so?

"Firstly, from qualifying. We got into the top ten quite easily in Q2, and then were able to make it an all-Renault third row. That is so much stronger than where we were even two months ago, and it shows how much hard work is being done back at the factories – and that we are on the right track. And then in the race, I was able to keep Alonso behind me quite comfortably in the final stint. For me, it shows that the gap to the teams in front is coming down, slowly but surely."

What are your thoughts about Silverstone this weekend?

"They are quite positive. Firstly, for the weekend itself: it is another home race for us after Magny-Cours, with all the people from the factory at Enstone coming to support the team. So of course, a good result for them would be special. But also because we have shown in the last few races that we are closing the gap, and we are in the fight. When you are in a situation like that, you want to be racing every weekend, to try and make that little bit more progress. Our fight will be with BMW again, and the target has to be to finish ahead of them."

And what about the circuit?

"It’s a fantastic track, one of the legendary circuits in Formula 1 and really selective for the cars and the drivers. The fast corners need real commitment, a very good chassis and a stable balance – which we have now with the R27. It is quite bumpy, and physical with a lot of high g-loads around the lap. A good lap at Silverstone is always satisfying, because the car and the driver both need to be working really well to achieve that. I finished fourth in the last two years, so if we could repeat that result, it would be a great performance for us."

Source Renault