Reactions – Renault moves forward and fills up with information!

Renault concluded its three-day testing program today at the Jerez circuit in Andalusia. With two R28 chassis on the track, the French team was able to continue its development program in preparation for the first race of 2008, which will take place in less than a month in Australia, at the Albert Park circuit (Melbourne).

For his third consecutive day on track this week, Nelson Piquet was assisted by his Brazilian compatriot Lucas Di Grassi, who was replacing Fernando Alonso in the R28-01 chassis for this final day of work.

Nelson Piquet: « I finish today a new positive workday with a lot of kilometers covered, which is a very good thing for me. We are working on the car to improve it as much as possible, obviously, and we can see the results of everyone’s efforts, whether at the factory or on the track. »

« Today we collected important data that the team will be able to analyze before our next tests in Barcelona next week. In general, these three days in Jerez went well, and I already feel sharper physically. » concluded the young incumbent.

Lucas Di Grassi: « We took advantage of this last day of work to try different parts, so the objective was not to look for performance but rather to understand how to make them work. We made good progress, and I am satisfied with how the day unfolded. »

My two days with the team this week went well, and I was impressed by the R28. I feel like I’m improving with each run and in my technical feedback, and I’m eager to continue working with the team very soon.

The weather was mild again today, offering satisfactory track conditions, especially since the wind had died down since yesterday. The team was therefore able to complete its entire technical program without difficulty with each of its two cars.

The two drivers worked on the overall balance of the car, and Nelson once again focused on long runs in the afternoon, covering 134 laps, and a new race distance that undoubtedly allows him to fine-tune his preparation for his first race. Lucas, on the other hand, encountered some minor issues in the morning but then had a productive afternoon of work, finishing the session with 73 laps on the clock.

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer: « Our tests proceeded according to our schedule with Nelson, who continued with set-up testing this morning and then a new race distance this afternoon, without encountering any problems. With Lucas, we conducted set-up tests this morning, but a few minor issues delayed us slightly. In the afternoon, he was then able to engage in brake tests, on which Lucas provided us with good feedback. We now have interesting data to analyze by next week. »

According to the Renault F1 Team