Renault boss Flavio Briatore confirmed this week that Fernando Alonso’s car will not be fitted in Brazil with the team’s latest specification of V8 engine.
The French squad announced on Monday that the championship leader’s teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, is to enjoy the new ‘e-spec’ engine, which is rumoured to boast a one to two-tenth per lap advantage over its predecessor.
“It should be a good step forward for me,” the Italian enthused.
Because 25-year-old Alonso only needs to finish the 2006 finale in eighth place, however, Renault has opted to play it safe by counting on the additional reliability of an older ‘d-spec’ unit.
“We are going a bit safer with Fernando,” broadcaster RTL quoted Briatore as saying.
Despite the more cautious preparation, though, the 56-year-old chief insisted that Alonso and the team have been instructed to win Sunday’s race in Sao Paulo.
He said: “It’s like in soccer, if you go looking for a draw then you usually lose the match.”
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
