Cool and overcast conditions greeted the team this morning with the
threat of rain in the air as the opening free practice session got
underway. Some light rain did fall, but both sessions were held in
largely dry conditions allowing the team to complete maximum mileage and
collect important data.
Both Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet enjoyed productive sessions as the
team worked through its technical programme of set-up work and tyre
evaluation. Both drivers were comfortably in the top ten in both
sessions, with Fernando topping the timesheets in the afternoon. The team
will look to build on the work completed today in the final practice
session tomorrow to be in good shape for qualifying.
Fernando Alonso
"The day has gone well. We have been able to complete our programme
without any problems and we have recorded lots of interesting data. We
still need to work hard to improve the car in time for tomorrow, but I'm
pleased with my day."
Nelson Piquet
"I did lots of laps today, which was what I wanted as I needed to find
the limits of the circuit. The initial information we have is
interesting, but the track was very slippery today and so I think I can
still find some more speed and I can still improve the set-up of the car
with my engineers. But on the whole the result from this first day of
practice is encouraging."
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"It was a typical Friday for us. We covered lots of laps and have been
able to complete our usual programme, which included set-up work and tyre
evaluation. The data looks encouraging, although the general balance of
the car is not yet where we would like it to be."
Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Track Operations
"We achieved our objective for today, which was to run as much as
possible and to complete our technical programme. It's difficult to
understand the pecking order from today's sessions, but we are satisfied
with the work we've done and we're in a good position heading into the
qualifying session tomorrow, which will determine the rest of our
weekend."
-credit: renault
