Fernando Alonso put in a stunning performance at Barcelona to qualify on the front row of the grid in front of his home crowd. However his hopes of scoring some points at the Spanish Grand Prix were dashed when on lap 35, his engine failed and he retired for the first time this season.
Renault s engine chief Rob White has said that they are determined to get to the bottom of what caused the failure as there were no warning signs that the engine was about to fail.
“There was no warning Fernando s engine failure was coming,†White explained. “How we go about resolving the problem does not change we need the same discipline and the same speed of reaction to decide what counter-measures might be required.â€
Denis Chevrier, head of trackside operations for Renault, has also confirmed that the engine failure was unexpected. “You know, it s a typical very sudden failure something which really could be considered worrying perhaps half a lap before,†he began. “But there was nothing we could do, nothing in accordance with how we used the engine.
“It was quite low of mileage compared to a normal race engine potential; It was a pure failure and we must make sure what it is and then consider how it involves the next engines. The only question now is what to do in the future.â€
