Alonso confident despite mass damper ban

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2006

ISTANBUL (AFP) — Fernando Alonso is confident he can retain the World Championship this season even though Renault's mass damper system has been banned. The system, which regulates tyre grip through corners, was officially outlawed by the sport's world governing body, the FIA, at a hearing in Paris on Wednesday.

Renault had been using mass dampers since September last year, with estimates suggesting they improved times by around 0.3 seconds per lap, though they had not been on the cars for the past two races in Germany and Hungary. Alonso shrugged off the set-back ahead of Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul which he will start with a 10-point lead over Ferraris Michael Schumacher. The Spaniard, 25, told reporters: "We accept the decision and that is logical and we try...