• European Grand Prix

Renault confident of return to form in Valencia

The Renault's suffered from excessive tyre graining in Canada © Sutton Images

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Renault is expecting to be back at its best in Valencia in order to resume its chase of Mercedes in the constructors' championship.

Renault has been the surprise package of 2010 and its disappointment at finishing seventh in Canada shows just how far the team has come since last year. Sporting Director Steve Nielson said that the team struggled with excessive tyre degradation in Montreal, but was confident it would have a better race at the upcoming European Grand Prix.

"Canada was race eight, and we have built up good momentum through the year, so one race doesn't cause us a problem," Nielson said. "It's clear that we are heading in the right direction, and our car is both fast and reliable. We didn't get the best out of it this weekend, but there are still 11 races to go, and the car is improving all the time. I'm sure we will put in a stronger result in Valencia."

He added that the team still has its sights firmly set on securing fourth place in the constructors' championship by the end of the season.

"We out qualified both Mercedes for the second time in three races, and although we had a tough afternoon on Sunday, they only gained two points on us, which didn't punish us as much as it could have done. The gap ahead is now 29 points, and with eleven races to go under the new points system, we still have reason to be optimistic about closing that gap. We will bring more new developments to Valencia that we hope will allow us to take the fight to them."

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