French GP - Red Bull Renault - Preview Fabrice Lom, the Technical Coordinator for Renault at Red Bull Racing, reflects on the Canadian Grand Prix and looks ahead to this weekend's French Grand Prix.
Fabrice, you came back from Montreal with a podium, you must be
delighted?
"Absolutely, everybody is very happy with this result which I believe is well deserved. David (Coulthard) did not qualify in the top 10 and that allowed us to adapt our strategy. We expected some safety car running in Montreal, and so we filled his fuel tank to the top and asked him to stop only once. And we managed it because, even heavy on fuel, the RB4 did not have any problems with its brakes, which was not the case for everybody. When the safety car came out around lap 20, the leaders stopped, but David was able to continue. After that, he did not make any mistakes and finished the race in third. A good day's work..."
What are your hopes for Magny-Cours next week?
"They are understandably high. Being fourth place in the championship, our legitimate objective must be to finish in 7th and 8th position.
But we will try and take the slightest opportunity to finish a bit higher up. So, with Lewis Hamilton having a 10-place penalty on the grid for the French Grand Prix, it's the chance to aim for 6th position..."
What about Magny-Cours, is it always a bit special?
"Of course. We must approach this race like all the others, but there is always something special for a team with a French engine. Lots of people come and visit us in the garage, we are racing in front of our colleagues who are in the stands and there are lots of requests, which can make the weekend more difficult. But out determination to do well there is increased ten-fold!"
