2006 Renault R26 2.4 V8

Today, a great racecar has to be very powerful, have a great deal of downforce to give grip, and be very controllable—irrespective of the formula.  Of course, the driver has to feel comfortable in the cockpit, especially with more longer distance races. An uncomfortable car can distract the driver from giving 100 percent of his performance. The cars which have come closest to those characteristics I’ve described were the 2005 and 2006 Renault Formula One cars. If I had to choose, the 2006 Renault R26 2.4 V8 would ultimately be the greatest car I’ve driven in competition. After a retirement in the first race at Bahrain with hydraulic problems—I knew the car was good and quick, as my teammate had underlined this by winning the Grand Prix. The next race of the season, the Malaysian GP, my thoughts in Bahrain became justified. I took the pole and led the race flag to flag. It’s very satisfying for a driver to do that. Apart from another retirement in Hungary, I was always in the points, including four more podium places in Spain, America, China, and Japan, finishing 4th in the drivers championship—my highest position.

My second Grand Prix win was a little less controversial and debatable than my first, which came at the Brazilian GP, Interlagos, in 2003, when I was driving for the Jordan team. The Jordan team was a small team with a restricted budget. They did the best job they could to provide a competitive car, but it was never meant to compete seriously with the front-running teams like Ferrari or McLaren. I’d qualified my car for the Brazilian GP mid-table, expecting to finish in the points if I was lucky. The race was scheduled for 71 laps, but on lap 54 Mark Webber crashed his Jaguar on the final corner of the lap. My teammate, Fernando Alonso, got caught up in the crash too, and as the circuit was completely blocked the safety car was deployed and the race red-flagged. Both Eddie Jordan and I felt I’d won—due to recent pit-stops I’d led the race on the lap prior to the accident. The organizers, however, gave the win to Kimi Räikkönen in the McLaren. The Jordan team protested the result, and after a court case I was finally acknowledged as the winner and presented with the trophy at the start of the San Marino GP, some weeks later.