Apr.21 (GMM) Fernando Alonso could have finished behind the Red Bulls and Brawns in China, Renault team boss Flavio Briatore insists.
Ultimately, the Spaniard's low-fuel 'Q3' strategy was extinguished by the Shanghai rain and long safety car start, and he finished just ninth."If everything had gone perfectly, he could have been fifth. And our car is even better than that," Briatore is quoted as saying by the Spanish sports newspaper Marca."I want to see a race with normal weather conditions because we are much more competitive (than before)," the Italian added.Briatore insists that the revised R29 in Alonso's hands, complete with new 'double diffuser', was "faster than McLaren, Ferrari and BMW" in China.And he added: "We have a big step forward for Fernando and Piquet in Barcelona."Although promising a new diffuser for Nelson Piquet's sister car in Bahrain this weekend, Briatore was not complementary about the Brazilian's performance last Sunday."I can understand it happening once, but (in China) it was like a contest: if you spin the most you get the most points," Briatore said.
