Symonds praises Fisichella's selfless act.

Renault's Pat Symonds has praised Giancarlo Fisichella's selfless act to pitch himself into a spin rather than collide with team-mate Fernando Alonso at the start of the Turkish Grand Prix.

A frenetic start saw Alonso swerve to avoid Michael Schumacher's locked-up Ferrari into the first corner, with Fisichella admitting he deliberately stamped on the brakes harder than usual to avoid coming into contact with the Spaniard.

Unfortunately for him, he locked the rear brakes and duly spun, creating the ensuing chaos that would effectively ruin the races of six other drivers. Nonetheless, a thrilling fightback to sixth at the finish drew praise from Symonds, even if it means the gap to Ferrari in the constructors' championship is now just two points.

"We must not forget to congratulate Giancarlo today, who put in a fantastic drive," he said. "He put himself off at Turn 1 to ensure that he did not collide with Fernando, which was a very sporting move. After that, his drive from the back of the field on a one-stop strategy was a pleasure to watch."