Symonds: We know Fisi was pushing hard.

Pat Symonds has attempted to lift the pressure on Giancarlo Fisichella after the Italian lost victory in Japan to Kimi Raikkonen on the last lap of the race at Suzuka.

With team boss Flavio Briatore choosing to divert his anger at the race stewards over the Fernando Alonso/Christian Klien incident, Symonds' endorsement of his effort should help to alleviate the despondency Fisichella showed on the podium, the Italian no doubt aware that he had halved Renault's potential constructors' championship lead heading to the final round in China this weekend.

The disappointment in the Renault garage was also genuine and deeply felt but, hidden beneath it all, was the knowledge that the regie had benefited from similar disappointment in the McLaren camp, as Alonso inherited a last lap win from Raikkonen at the N?rburgring earlier in the year. This time, it was Renault's turn to feel the sting of defeat, but the mood afterwards was philosophical.

"It was difficult to see Giancarlo lose the lead on the final lap, but we know he was pushing all the way," Symonds insisted, "Indeed, the rhythm of his race may have had something to do with the lack of grip he reported towards the end, because he had been pushing from the opening laps and putting a lot of energy through his tyres.

"Fernando and Kimi both were able to look after their tyres at various points when they were following slower cars, but Giancarlo never had that luxury. That could have made quite a difference...

"I think we can take heart from the pace the car has shown today. It was a race where traffic played a big part but, even so, the table of fastest laps is revealing. It shows Fernando and Kimi separated by very little indeed, and that is promising for China."