Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr spoke exclusively to Eurosport ahead of the French Grand Prix.

Was Canada a golden chance missed to get some points on the board? What were your expectations from the race before the braking trouble?

Canada was a great opportunity for us to do something special as we were definitely in the fight to pick up some points. In the end the brake problem meant I had to retire, but up until then it had been a great race - a lot of fun, especially the battle I had with the Toyotas.

What did you make of the condition of the track? Did that contribute to any of the spins you suffered over the weekend?

The track conditions were tough, especially in qualifying, but it was the same for everyone. The organisers worked hard on Saturday night and made some improvements in time for Sunday, which helped for the race.

Have Renault's investigations yet uncovered why the brakes wore so quickly?

Not yet. It's something the team is still looking into, but this sort of thing is not uncommon in Canada.

What was your view of the Lewis Hamilton-Kimi Raikkonen incident in the pits? Do you think the 10-place grid penalty for the Briton is fair, given that Raikkonen's race was ruined?

It's easy to look back with hindsight and be critical. Yes, Lewis caused an avoidable accident, and took out Kimi, but he did not do it on purpose. We have seen similar penalties in the past and so it is not unexpected.

What is your target for Magny-Cours, for qualifying and the race?

My aim will be to reach Q3 in qualifying and to try and score my first points. It's a track that I know well from my time in GP2 and that should make things a little easier.

What do you think about this being the last race at the track? Will you welcome a move to a street circuit in Paris, should that be agreed? How important is it to have a French GP on the calendar?

The French Grand Prix is very important - it's one of the great historic races on the calendar, no matter where in France it is held. I drive for a French team and so it's nice to race on home soil and there will be great support there. I'm really looking forward to it and would love to score my first points in Renault's home race.

Will there be added pressure in the next race, given that Renault is a French team? Will you feel more pride because of this than if you were driving for another team?

It will be a special race for the team, but it's not a case of extra pressure. I always expect the most from myself and give my maximum, and I will do the same in France.

Pat Symonds has said people have very short memories in motor racing and compared your situation with that of Heikki Kovalainen last year. When you 'break through the barrier', as he put it, do you see yourself flying up the field?

I can't deny that it's been a tough start to the season. I've had some bad luck, made some mistakes and we haven't always taken our chances. But we remain focused and I think that we just need to keep working hard and things will come right for us. The team is supporting me and we still have eleven races to go with some of my favourite circuits still to come. I'm sure we can end the year strongly.

How important is momentum in Formula One? How can incidents in practice affect what happens in qualifying and the race?

Each race weekend goes by so quickly, with limited track time, and so you need to maximise each session. That is something I am getting used to because if you lose time on Friday, it can be difficult to keep your momentum up. That has been the case in some of the races this year, and it's even more difficult when you are trying to learn a new circuit. But I am getting used to this and each weekend I feel more confident in the way I work with the team to improve the car during free practice.

Fernando has also backed you to have a good season by the end. Have you talked to him since Canada? He must be devastated not to have taken a podium last weekend.

I saw Fernando after the race and, like me, he was disappointed not to finish the race. At one stage we were both running just behind Robert Kubica after the safety car, and so we were in great shape at that stage. But we've moved on now, the Barcelona test last week was positive and so we're sure that we can have a better weekend in Magny-Cours.

Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport