Formula One news

Renault happy with distance covered

Renault began its final testing session of the year on Tuesday as Nelson Piquet spent the day behind the wheel of the R28 in Jerez in the south of Spain.

The team spent the morning continuing its evaluation of the slick Bridgestone tyres while simulating a 2009 car set-up. The team was also able to put some mileage on the engine in preparation for the three race engine rule that will come into force next season. In all, Piquet clocked up a total of 124 laps to round off a positive first day for the team.

"It has been a good day, I did lots of laps and we completed what we needed to in terms of putting mileage on the car, despite the rain showers," said Piquet. "The cool conditions meant that the track conditions were quite cool throughout the day, but the grip was good, which has given us some more valuable data about the tyres."

Christian Silk, chief test engineer commented, "It's been a positive first day here in Jerez. Nelson did a good job completing a lot of laps and so we've been able to achieve the main targets for the day, which is always encouraging. The conditions were quite cold today and the weather was quite changeable which meant we had to keep adapting out programme, but overall we can be happy with our day's work." 

Fernando Alonso takes over today for the remaining couple of days as the Spaniard returns to the cockpit for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix.

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