Formula One news

Alonso: We still need to improve on Saturday

The Renault F1 drivers enjoyed the Spanish fans at Circuit de Catalunya as Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet finished second and third in Friday's second free practice session. The duo could complete the team's programme without any problems. Having spent four days testing in Barcelona last week, the team had completed lots of miles and so the day was spent fine-tuning the set-up and completing tyre evaluation.

Fernando Alonso said about his first day of action in front of his home crowd: "This first day of running allowed us to finish the work we began in testing last week. We have therefore tried different configurations and have been able to collect lots of information. But the conditions on the track were very different to those we had last week, with more wind and much less grip, and you had to get used to it. I am satisfied with my day's work and the results that we have registered. However, we still need to improve here tomorrow to ensure a good qualifying session because that will determine our race on Sunday."

Nelson Piquet commented : "I am happy with the day's work. The car felt good, we have tried lots of different settings and we have made good progress with the evaluation of the tyres. I covered a lot of laps and completed my programme. We therefore have lots of data which we will look at this evening so that we can continue progressing and be in the best possible condition for qualifying."

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