Formula One news
Renault enjoys strong practice pace
06 April 2007 / Results / PhotosRenault enjoyed a trouble-free opening day of practice for the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit. Both drivers completed their full, planned technical programmes during the three hours of running permitted today, with a total of over 60 laps per car. Track temperatures reached nearly 50°C today, meaning the main priority for the team was achieving a consistent balance, and confirming the tyre performance noted during testing last week. Both drivers found the car inconsistent initially, but made progress working with their engineers to reach a more comfortable compromise by the end of the second practice session. Even so, grip levels were still low, a situation that will hopefully improve as the circuit rubbers in more through the weekend.
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"It was a pretty normal Friday for me, and we managed to do a lot more running than in Australia, which is a good start," said Fisichella. "The balance of the car is not too bad, but we are lacking grip, and that marks the car nervous and inconsistent to drive. Of course, the hot conditions always mean grip levels are lower, but we made some decent progress today - and hopefully that can continue tomorrow. Physically, it was tough out there today, especially as I have been suffering from the flu in the past couple of day. But by Sunday, I am confident everything will be OK."
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Heikki Kovalainen commented, "It was a really good Friday for me, especially compared to the first day of practice in Australia. After the test last week, it was good to complete another 60 laps today and get in tune with the circuit again. In terms of the car's handling, it was quite like the final day of the test: the balance wasn't too bad, and improved in line with the circuit conditions, just as it will have done for all the drivers. The heat makes life tough here, and it is going to be a long, hard race but I feel well prepared after the test. In terms of competitiveness, we don't really know where we stand at the moment, as we can't know what the other teams were doing. But the picture will become clearer tomorrow."
Engineering chief Pat Symonds added, "As the second practice session progressed, track conditions became much more like they were last week - and accordingly, we reached the same relatively good compromise for the balance of the car, as we had achieved by the final day of the test. Just like the car, the tyres were behaving in the same manner too, and we can therefore be reasonably confident that the data we collected last week remains relevant for our work. It is always nice to see our drivers at the correct end of the timesheets, but it is relatively obvious that we were running lower fuel and new tyres at the right time of the session. There are no miracles in racing, and we will only be able to assess our true competitiveness after qualifying and the race."
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