Renault knows that 2016 will be a transitional year. To make progress, it is necessary to be on track as long as possible to gather valuable information. That was precisely the day’s program at Renault. Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer conducted extensive tests on different front wing configurations during the first session, before focusing on studying the tires in the second session.<\/p>\n
If the Dane improved by two seconds between the two sessions, he only moved up one place in the hierarchy, going from 16th to 15th place. He notes, therefore, that he is lagging behind the competition, even if performance was not the main objective of the day: \u00ab We completed our entire program by accumulating laps today. So it was a good day and I’m pleased about it. We are going to work hard tonight to analyze the data as usual, but also to find more performance because we are not yet as strong as we were in Melbourne compared to our competitors. \u00bb<\/p>\n
The progression is even more significant for his teammate since the 2014 GP2 champion improved his best time by 3.3 seconds between the afternoon and the evening. But this only allowed him to move from 20th to 18th place. He can, however, be satisfied with having completed 63 laps during the day: \u00ab After the rain in Melbourne, it was great to enjoy a full Friday of running. The temperature difference between the two practice sessions was large. With the gradual disappearance of sand on the track and the laying of rubber, the track evolution was significant. We completed a good number of laps today, so there is a lot to do overnight. It’s far from over! <\/i> \u00bb<\/p>\n
The team’s objective therefore seems to be to find enough performance to at least make it to Q2.<\/p>\n