By role
March 7 2004

Renault F1 driver Fernando Alonso was quite happy with his podium position on the first race of the season. It was an unexpected result for a team whose aim in tis Grand Prix was to collect some points while they wait for improvements on th engine side for Europe. The key to the race was a great start by the Spaniard that saw him overtake two positions and settle on the third spot:

"I made a great start, even though Montoya forced me onto the grass. After he out-braked himself at the first corner, I found myself third and from then on, it was a pretty easy race. I was too slow to be able to fight with the Ferraris, but I managed to pull out a gap to Jenson and the Williams. Our objective for this race was to start scoring points before the start of the European season; to take a podium is everything we could have hoped for." Said Alonso.

Jarno Trulli finished 7th after having to struggle with a less than perfect car:

"Overall, it was a disappointing race from my perspective. I got a very good start, but somebody - Sato I think - hit me and damaged the diffuser. After that, the car just lacked grip and the rest of the race was very tough. It is obviously disappointing to finish seventh after having been as high as fifth, but it is nevertheless positive to have finished in the points with a damaged car." Said Trulli.

Flavio Briatore was obviously pleased with the result:

"I am very pleased for the whole team. We worked hard over the winter, and this result gives an initial idea of how competitive we can be. We have a good chassis, a good engine and good drivers. Getting on to the podium at the first race puts us on the right track for the rest of the year." He said.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering was exhuberant after a great first result:

"It is satisfying to get the first race under our belt after what seemed like a very short winter. The team performed well throughout the weekend, and the car's level of competitiveness was pretty much what we had expected. I am particularly pleased with the engine: it has more torque, more power and has been 100% reliable over the three days. It is hard to be disappointed with getting a podium at the first race, but hats off to Ferrari: we all have a lot of work to do to catch them. But we will."