Advertisement

Help
You are here: Rediff Home » India » Sports » Formula One » Reuters > Report
Search:  Rediff.com The Web
Advertisement
  Discuss this Article   |      Email this Article   |      Print this Article

Renault showed who's boss: Briatore
Alastair Himmer
Get Sports updates:What's this?
Advertisement
October 16, 2005 16:36 IST

Renault's Formula One title double has put rivals McLaren firmly in their place, Renault team boss Flavio Briatore said on Sunday.

New world champion Fernando Alonso [Images] won the season-ending Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday to clinch the constructors' championship for Renault.

"McLaren completely built up the constructors' championship but we won that as well," a champagne-soaked Briatore told Reuters.

"In the last three weeks everybody built up the constructors' championship like it was the most important. What more do we have to do that we have to win that as well?

"For me the drivers' championship was most important and we won that. We beat McLaren fair and square. We do the job when we have to do the job. This is the reason we are world champions."

Renault finished the 19-race season with 191 points to McLaren's 182.

Alonso's victory was his seventh of his season. The 24-year-old Spaniard became Formula One's youngest world champion in Brazil [Images] last month.

Briatore, however, hailed the drive of Giancarlo Fisichella, who finished fourth but did a solid job of holding up McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen [Images] and Juan Pablo Montoya [Images] early on.

"Fisi was fantastic," said Briatore of his fellow Italian, who has only recorded two podiums since winning the season-opener in Melbourne.

"People criticise Fisi but Fisi's driving today will shut everyone up."

An elated Briatore also praised Renault's achievement just four years after returning to Formula One by buying the Benetton team he also led to the constructors' title in 1995.

"We started Renault in 2001. Now it's 2005 and we are champions," he said. "We won the championship in four years. It's fantastic. Nobody has done that before and I'm very pleased."



© Copyright 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
 Email this Article      Print this Article

© 2008 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | Feedback