Renault: On the verge of points, Magnussen has « reason to smile »
Kevin Magnussen, even though he started from the pits in Bahrain, managed to work his way up through the field to finish just outside the points. His Renault's race pace looked promising. Jolyon Palmer was unable to defend his chances due to a hydraulic problem.
Frustrating! Once again, a Renault finished just outside the points. After Jolyon Palmer in Melbourne, it’s Kevin Magnussen’s turn to narrowly miss opening his points tally this season. The Dane had started from the pits. At least he can be pleased with an effective comeback: « Starting from the pit lane always meant you’d have to run a strategic race, but I had some fun battles on track, and we got everything we could out of the car today. We were so close to scoring points; it’s frustrating to think about what would have happened if we hadn’t received a penalty (for missing a weigh-in on Friday, ed.). In any case, the team did a good job this weekend, we’re working very well together, and the car’s performance was encouraging. There are signs that good opportunities are coming for Renault. (…) We have reasons to smile. »
Jolyon Palmer, on the other hand, did not show the slightest bit of joy. The Englishman couldn’t even start the race due to a hydraulic problem: « With a Grand Prix under my belt, I was really looking forward to racing today, so I’m disappointed not to have made it past the formation lap. I think we could have moved up (Palmer was starting 20th, ed.). »
Frédéric Vasseur, the competition director, wanted to highlight Kevin Magnussen’s performance: « It was a weekend full of challenges for us here in Bahrain and we were close to scoring points once again today! Kevin did a very good job. » The Renault seems to perform much better on Sunday than on Saturday; the Chinese Grand Prix, scheduled in two weeks, should confirm this once more.
