Renault tests a new Red Bull-style engine cover today

The Renault F1 Team was on track for its second day of testing at the Barcelona circuit. The team once again benefited from excellent conditions today, allowing them to make good progress in their preparation program for the Spanish Grand Prix, which will take place next week.

Fernando Alonso was behind the wheel of the R28 today and managed to complete a busy program, despite a short interruption at the start of the afternoon. Based on the tests carried out yesterday by his teammate, Nelson Piquet, who had begun the team’s development program, the Spaniard continued the evaluation of new components, including a new engine cover and a reworked suspension.

Fernando will be on track tomorrow for his last day before handing the wheel over to Nelson, who will conclude the team’s testing on Thursday.

Fernando Alonso: « The car behaved well today and we were reasonably competitive. It is important to note that several teams were running on slick tires today and therefore the lap times should not be given too much importance. We are progressing for sure. We tried new aerodynamic parts today, which responded well. We managed to complete 119 laps, or two race distances, and we are quite happy this evening. There is still a lot to do tomorrow… »

Christian Silk – Chief Test Engineer: « Once again, our program for the day ran smoothly and we recorded a lot of information which will be analyzed tonight. The entire factory made a remarkable effort to have the new parts ready for this session, so it’s good to have made significant progress today. All the mechanics also worked hard today, allowing us to complete many laps. Tomorrow we will try once more to complete our program and see what we can learn from it. »

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team