An outlandish and laughable report in a Spanish newspaper claims that Renault were dealt an unofficial penalty in Shanghai to punish team boss Flavio Briatore for his outspoken stance on the FIA split-diffuser decision.

The Chinese Grand Prix started under the safety car due to heavy rain and stayed out for a full eight laps as the deluge continued.

Fernando Alonso, who used a light fuel load to qualify on the front row, used the opportunity to fuel longer into the race, but the Spaniard was left in limbo at the back of the field when the safety car pulled in on the same lap to get the race started.

The Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos has speculated that the decision to bring the safety car in on the same lap as Alonso’s pit stop was an attempt by race director Charlie Whiting to disrupt the Spaniard’s race.

The newspaper goes on to speculate that the Renault team were being punished for team principal Flavio Briatore’s outspoken stance on the FIA ”double-deck” diffuser decision, which his team lost.

Renault have denied the rumours and Alonso confirms that he and the team were just unlucky [see separate story HERE].

“I think it’s one of those days when you take decisions at the wrong moment and everything seems to turn against you,” said the double world champion.

“We thought that the safety car would be out for the next 10 or 15 laps so we came in to get fuel and at the same time the safety car came in so we found ourselves starting the race last.

“We were on the first row on the grid and all of a sudden we were last so this was the end of our race.”

Indeed, it is very unlikely that Whiting singled out Alonso for specific punishment on the track.

A random penalty of this nature without prior notice would be without precedent. It would not be within the rules, as team penalties must go through the correct channels.

A less paranoid explanation for the Spaniard’s difficulties yesterday would be a simple strategic error from the team, who decided to short-fuel the Spanish ace. Renault have fuelled Alonso light before to jump him up the grid in qualifying, even if then his race suffers.

By Hugh Podmore

Lewis Hamilton says he has always respected his former McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso and has denied that there was ever a personal dispute between himself and the Spaniard as they battled for the title at McLaren last year.

“I don’t think there was a particular dispute between us,” he said at Mercedes-Benz’s Stars & Cars event in Stuttgart this weekend, according to autosport.com.

Hamilton also disclosed that Alonso was one of the first drivers to congratulate him after he won the world championship in Brazil.

“It was great to see him in the garage,” said Hamilton. “He came over as I saw my team, I turned round and he was there - just to wish me congratulations. Then he said congratulations to the rest of the team.”

“I had a huge amount of respect for him already, but it took a big man to come and do that so I was very thankful to him.”

Alonso’s feud with McLaren stemmed from his belief that the the team were biased towards Hamilton and that eventually resulted in him leaving the team.

By Christopher Hayes on Sunday, November 9, 2008

Renault ace admits ‘pressure is off’ and eyes third win of the season in title showdown

Fernando Alonso is adamant that Renault are now the third best team on the grid and reckons that victory could well be on the cards in Brazil after his impressive back-to-back wins in Singapore and Fuji.

The Spaniard had a torrid start to the year and found himself entrenched in the mid-field during the early races, his Renault powered R28 seemingly suffering from a lack of horsepower and straight-line speed. That triggered speculation that he was on the move for 2009 with a string of teams lined up to accommodate him, including Ferrari, Honda and BMW Sauber.

But Renault turned things around in spectacular style in the second half of the season. Solid points finishes beckoned before Alonso’s back-to-back victories in Singapore and Fuji, which although lucky, were only possible after major upgrades to the R28.

While Alonso has yet to confirm his whereabouts for 2009, the general consensus is that he will stay with Renault – and his confidence in the French team in the build up to the season finale does little to suggest otherwise.

“Our victories in Singapore and Fuji were a wonderful surprise and our fourth place in China confirmed our return to form,” he said. “We were clearly the third strongest team and we had similar race pace to the Ferraris, which is really satisfying for everybody in the team.”

“We’ve all worked really hard and so it’s a nice reward, especially as we have now confirmed our fourth place in the championship, which was the objective we set ourselves in the middle of the season. So it’s mission accomplished and we can now approach the Brazilian Grand Prix calmly and aim to have another strong weekend.”

Renault have already beaten rivals Toyota to fourth in the constructors’ championship courtesy of Alonso’s impressive performances, and that, reckons the Spaniard, puts the team in a perfect position to score strongly in Brazil, given that rivals Ferrari and McLaren will be locked in a fierce title scrap.

“This year we have already achieved our objective to end the season fourth in the constructors’ championship with the third quickest car so we can therefore approach this race with less pressure and be more relaxed, which may help us take advantage of the situation,” he added, “after Singapore and Fuji, the team now believes that anything is possible.

Team boss Flavio Briatore meanwhile has suggested that Alonso will probably stay with Renault for next year.

“The chance (that Alonso stays) is fairly big,” the Italian said in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

“The last race is this Sunday, so both of the sides will decide then.”

By Christopher Hayes on Monday, October 27, 2008