Fisichella wary of McLaren threat

Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella fears McLaren may have the edge in this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Fisichella’s team lead both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships thanks to team-mate Fernando Alonso’s five wins this season.

But that success has come against a backdrop of McLaren superiority, with the Woking-based team suffering from bad luck which has denied them the chance to close significantly.

Fisichella again expects McLaren to be the team to beat at Silverstone this weekend.

He said: “I think we will be very strong – although when we tested there last month, McLaren also looked very quick, so maybe they will be a little bit ahead of us.

“But we have new engine developments for Silverstone which will give us a boost and I have always had strong races there in the past.

“The car needs to have quite high levels of downforce and a strong engine, and our car has both.

“We have been strong at every circuit, fighting for the podium everywhere. So we will definitely be aiming for a podium finish.”

Fisichella is gearing up for Renault’s second home race in succession.

Last weekend’s French Grand Prix has obvious emotional significance for the team but with the Renault car being built predominantly in Enstone – less than 30 miles from Silverstone – this weekend also counts as a home race.

“We have our factory only half an hour away from the circuit, so we see a lot of our colleagues, and they can bring their families too,” added Fisichella. “We have a lot of fun during the weekend.

“Silverstone is also a circuit with a fantastic history in Formula One, so there are lots of reasons to hope for a really strong race weekend.

“It’s a great circuit. We know it really well because we test a lot at the track, but every team has a lot of experience there.

“The weather is not usually so good, which makes the weekend quite unpredictable and you can sometimes lose a lot of practice time through bad conditions.

“But the circuit layout is nice – lots of fast corners which make it really exciting for the drivers. It is definitely one of my favourite circuits.”

While Renault are concerned about McLaren’s speed, world champion Michael Schumacher is worried about both teams.

Ferrari have taken a back seat to Renault and McLaren this season and Schumacher was disheartened by their inability to challenge last weekend in France.

He said: “The gap to Alonso is wider than we would have liked and even Kimi Raikkonen’s form was striking.

“Still, we have to be pleased with third place as the race could have gone worse. After the times we set on Friday and Saturday, I thought that we really were in with a chance of victory.

“Here we are in the midst of another double appointment – this time Magny Cours followed immediately by Silverstone, one of the sport’s great circuits.

“The race at Magny Cours led us astray a little. After our showing on Friday and Saturday we thought we would have had a better chance. So, now I am a bit careful about making predictions.”