Fisi's Monaco Grid Position

[OSTKURVE]

I read an article in which Fisichella stated that Renault was in the process of getting their car sorted out & he expect to be more competitive in the latter rounds of the championship.

Is his fourth place grid position this weekend an indication of this? Will Renault be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming rounds of the championship?

Or was this merely a fluke?

[ralf fan]

They still won't come near Mclaren or Ferrari. Probably duel it out with BMW for the 'best of the rest' tag in the latter rounds.
Let us see tomorrow. I suspect BMW's might be running heavier and hence the low grid slots compared to Renault.

[Knowlesy]

Monaco is a funny circuit that can mask many deficiencies.

Given that Renault traditionally have strong traction and low-down grunt, then it is perhaps normal that they do well (thus far) at Monaco.

However, it's a different kettle of fish when we return to more normal tracks. I don't see how Renault can fight with BMW-Sauber or even Red Bull as the season wears on.

[Inigo Montoya]

For once, we can put Fisichella's success to his ability. Monaco is one of his favourite circuits. He is a master there.

[Knowlesy]

He was certainly quicker than Heikki by a distance through qualifying, so there is an element of that (master of Monaco may be stretching it a bit!).

It's a combination of a strong showing by Fisi and a circuit Renault like a lot. Result, 4th on the grid.

Whether he can hold that is another matter. There are some quick guys behind!

[Inigo Montoya]

Its Monaco buddy. Doesn't matter who is behind. Keep it on the road and have a decent strategy and you have to try hard to lose a position.

[Knowlesy]

Do Renault have a decent strategy though, or are they light? Shall be interesting to find out I suppose.

[Glen]

Contrary to popular nonsense, Fisi is a class act and a very quick driver - couple that with the traditional virtues of the Renault car (ie, good driveability, good traction and high downforce) and it's no surprise to see him up there.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by Glen

(ie, good driveability, good traction and high downforce)

Two out of three aint bad.

[Smokey 6 litre]

The common conception of the Renault problem is high speed instability so Monaco is a track which will mask that problem. i think fundamentally it is a quick car, good mechanical grip and a good torquey engine so monaco will suit the car.
I expect to see them struggling again at the next race, but perhaps getting better later in the season.

[gomick]

i hope fisi fluffs the start so he dont hold up the cars starting behind him

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Glen

Contrary to popular nonsense, Fisi is a class act and a very quick driver - couple that with the traditional virtues of the Renault car (ie, good driveability, good traction and high downforce) and it's no surprise to see him up there.

Which of course explains the various radio chats we heard last year along the lines of "come on fisi you're two seconds a lap slower than Fernando in the same car".

[FPV GTHO]

Symonds has said countless times the R27 handles inconsistently, which leaves the drivers unable to depend on it. Despite that being a characteristic that would normally murder you around Monaco, he still qualified 4th. Now of course we have to expect Raikkonen wouldve qualified in the top 4 had he not clipped the wall, and then theres the question over BMW's strategy. A few of the "experts" have said BMW are far enough ahead of those behind them to get away with any sort of strategy, but obviously they arent around Monaco. The team though have made gestures towards being heavy however, something a few other teams have hinted at with the new safety car rules but it wont go down too well with the tyre regs. So perhaps he still couldve split the BMW's had they chosen a normal strategy, which would still be a pretty good feat.

With the BMW's that far back though and with their fast starts so far this year, someone will surely lose out on the start. Fisi will probably be hoping he's far enough ahead to be safe.

[Racer_kyle]

If the clouds open expect Fisi to be at the sharp end of proceedings!

[Marbot]

And expect Massa to be out on the first lap.

[f1manoz]

Originally Posted by Inigo Montoya

Its Monaco buddy. Doesn't matter who is behind. Keep it on the road and have a decent strategy and you have to try hard to lose a position.

I concur. The Renault still isn't the best car on the grid, but there have been improvements made. However, Fisichella has always excelled on the street circuit, and his qualifying result yesterday was a good achievement. A podium could be in the making...