F1: Alonso Ends Renault Career With 'Worst Car'

Formula 1

F1: Alonso Ends Renault Career With ‘Worst Car’

Fernando Alonso has prepared to draw a line under his seven-year career at Renault by describing the R29 as the worst car in Formula One...

SPEED Staff / GMM | Posted October 31, 2009 Abu Dhabi (ARE)

Fernando Alonso was knocked out in Q1 in Abu Dhabi Saturday for the first time in his career. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Fernando Alonso has prepared to draw a line under his seven-year career at Renault by describing the R29 as the "worst car" in Formula One.

The Spaniard won back-to-back titles with the French team in 2005 and 2006, but next year is switching to Ferrari after a frustrating campaign this season.

There have been some positive moments for Alonso in 2009, but he thinks results like his 16th grid slot in Abu Dhabi are actually more representative of the car's pace.

"We have at the moment one of the worst cars on the grid unfortunately -- or the worst car now, because Toro Rosso is in front of us, Force India is in front of us, and Williams and Toyota are in front of us," he said at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Alonso insisted that his teammates this year, Nelson Piquet and Romain Grosjean, should not be written off, while he should be given more credit for utterly dominating them.

"I know that people think that I need to beat my teammate always by rule -- but this is not mathematics. I have been beating for two years guys who are winning in GP2 and are champions in different categories.

"It's not that I am beating someone who arrived in Formula One by luck.

"I think they (Piquet and Grosjean) don't (shouldn't) suffer, I think they are doing a super job. For sure, if they were sitting in a Toyota now like Kobayashi, they might even be able to fight for a podium," added Alonso.

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