Formula One news

Heikki ready to do battle in Spain

Heikki Kovalainen believes that Renault has made progress with its R27 ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix thanks to some much-needed upgrades. The revised parts were evaluated at the Spanish track itself during last week's test where the Finn also focused on acclimitising his Renault to the Barcelona track.

"The main preparation came during testing at this circuit last week," Kovalainen said.

"We ran through our usual pre-race programme, working on car set-up, while I focused on my driving, finding the right lines and good braking points. It was our normal series of preparations before we race at a circuit, and of course, we also carried on collecting data to continue the analysis of the problems we have experienced since the start of the year."

Kovalainen hopes that the improvements will single the Renault team out as leaders of the fiercely condensed midfield competition.

"When we tested at the track last week, the car seemed to be working quite well. The new parts have helped us make a small step, so hopefully it will be enough compared to our immediate competitors. Clearly, it is going to be another hard-fought weekend at such a demanding track, but we will be pushing to the maximum - and trying to get everything out of the car during qualifying and the race."

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