A problem in the steering like the one that Alonso had at N�rburgring normally means an immediate retirement. They recommended as much from the pits but the Renault driver did not want to finish the week with another failure, the week before in Monaco he crashed. He just lowered his pace slightly and took care of his car to take it over the finishing line. "It took a while to get accustomed to the defective steering, and it meant that I had brake really hard on a curve and I almost went off" said Alonso.

" We had this problem throughout the winter and we have had it again when we least expected it. I did not want to retire, but I was frightened at some moments " he continued. "I am pleased with the result, because finishing fifth in these conditions is very positive, but the weekend could have been much better. The car was going well and I had a chance of finishing on the podium. In the three last races I have been near the leaders. In Canada and the U.S.A. I will try to be there again".

After the race, Fernando Alonso met Flavio Briatore and the engineers. They reached the conclusion that the failure was due to a defect in the manufacture of a part used on the steering column. The driver also complained about the tactics. During the race he requested two pit stops instead of three � just like Barrichello - because he thought that he could avoid traffic problems in this way. The equipment decided to follow the pre-race tactics and Alonso explained to them that he though that this had been a mistake.