Alonso is confident after the first tests

After its last victory in Singapore two weeks ago, the ING Renault F1 Team was back on track today for testing at the Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend at the Fuji Speedway circuit.

With very few kilometers covered on dry track during the 2007 edition, the team was hoping today to take advantage of the three hours of testing planned to fine-tune the R28 on a dry track. With nearly 149 laps completed in total, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet were able to carry out their technical program without difficulty, thus recording a maximum amount of information, particularly concerning the evaluation of the tires available to them this weekend.

The assessment of this first day is encouraging and will provide the team, according to a spokesperson, with a good basis for work tomorrow.

Fernando Alonso stated: The day went smoothly. We were able to do many laps, which was the priority today to make good progress in our program. The initial data is encouraging, we are now going to review all of this tonight and fine-tune our settings for the final session tomorrow morning and especially the qualifications.

Nelson Piquet, who struggled a bit more with the car than his teammate, explains: « The circuit is interesting, not particularly difficult, and I quickly found my rhythm. We made good progress in our technical program today. Of course, we still have a lot to do by tomorrow, but it’s certainly a good start and a solid foundation for the rest of the weekend.

Denis Chevrier – Head of Engine Teams – also feels confident: « Today we went through what we always do on a Grand Prix Friday: tires, car behavior with various fuel loads, gear ratios, cooling… The day went smoothly, and we benefited from very good track conditions. It’s always difficult to establish any hierarchy from these first tests, but the results from this Friday allow us to have reasonable hopes, I think, for the rest of the weekend. »

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team