First day of testing in the cold for Renault

Renault began its last testing session of the year today, setting up for three days of running on the Jerez circuit in the south of Spain.

It was under an overcast sky and in cold temperature conditions that the team tackled its program. Nelson Piquet, at the wheel of the R28 today, took advantage of the dry track conditions this morning to continue his slick tire tests already started a few weeks ago in Barcelona.

He also worked on the development of his single-seater as part of the team’s preparations for the 2009 season. It was also about running as much as possible to simulate the three Grand Prix engine lifecycle conditions as required by next year’s regulations. At the end of the session, with 124 laps completed, the outcome of this first day of work is positive.

Nelson will give up his place to Fernando Alonso for the next two days. It will be the Spanish driver’s first work session since the Brazilian Grand Prix last November.

Nelson Piquet stated: « The day went well, I was able to complete many laps despite the showers this afternoon. It was very cold, so the track was tricky, little grip but this proved interesting for our tire testing. »

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer, added: « It was a very positive day. Nelson covered a lot of kilometers which allowed us to achieve the objectives we had set for ourselves. The conditions were quite cool and the weather kept changing, so we had to adapt our program somewhat but overall, we are very satisfied with this first day. »

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team