GP – Renault brushes against the safety barriers
Despite precarious traction conditions in the early morning, the track gradually built up rubber during the sessions, allowing Renault to begin its tire tests and evaluate the two types of tire compounds available to them.
Parties in error this afternoon, Fernando and Nelson nonetheless showed a good pace today, which is encouraging for the rest of the Monaco weekend.
Fernando Alonso – 7th and 7th:
« The first two practice sessions went generally well for us. The track was very dirty this morning, but we made good progress in our program, and the car responded well to the different setup solutions we explored. »
« We are on pace in the long runs, but we now need to improve our performance level on a single lap because qualifying is crucial here, and that might be where we are still lacking a bit at the moment. »
Nelson Piquet – 18th and 15th:
« It’s a difficult track, I was prepared for it and I learned a lot today. We evaluated different setups but I’m still lacking a bit of speed after these first two sessions. The car was a little difficult, so I don’t feel completely comfortable. »
I hope that by Saturday, we will have made progress with my engineers and that I will be able to take advantage of the last testing session to improve and approach the qualifications calmly because it is crucial here, probably more than elsewhere.
Pat Symonds – Executive Director of Engineering:
« It’s a traditional workday as far as we’re concerned. Nelson completed many laps which allowed him to get his bearings on the circuit, even though his run on soft tires was cut short because he hit the rail. »
« With Fernando, we have been able to evaluate different solutions in terms of settings. In Monaco more than anywhere else, fine-tuning the car remains a difficult exercise. His progress has been encouraging, and despite the damage to his car after coming into contact with the rail, the overall assessment of this first day remains positive. »
Denis Chevrier – Head of Trackside Engine Teams:
« We have seen here that to learn and find one’s footing, one must be willing to take risks, which quickly creates a contact with the rail here. This was the case for our two drivers, which always costs a bit of track time. »
« We were therefore unable to cover our entire program, but the data collected should be sufficient and will be further completed on Saturday morning in preparation for qualifying. As for the engine, Monaco is a circuit we know well, so we didn’t have any big surprises. »
According to a Renault F1 press release
