Formula 1
Brazilian GP: Renault Friday practice notes
The ING Renault F1 Team enjoyed a promising opening day of the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend at Interlagos, in spite of mixed running conditions which saw the first session run in wet weather, and the second on a drying circuit. Giancarlo ...
Published: Oct 20, 2007, 5:11 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The ING Renault F1 Team enjoyed a promising opening day of the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend at Interlagos, in spite of mixed running conditions which saw the first session run in wet weather, and the second on a drying circuit. Giancarlo completed only limited running during the wet session in the morning, as the team worked to resolve a potential hydraulic problem on his race chassis. This meant the Italian completed just two installation laps as the team located and resolved the problem.
He then switched to the T-car for the afternoon session, as per the original running plan (NB: the drivers use the T-car for Friday running at alternate race weekends), and set a competitive fifth-fastest time. Heikki finished the morning session in third place, and then worked through a solid programme during the afternoon. In a very competitive field, he finished the day in P12, but was only three tenths off his team-mate's best time.
Overall, the R27 seems to be performing competitively in all conditions, and both drivers were pleased with the handling balance. They will now work to further improve the performance ahead of qualifying tomorrow.
Giancarlo Fisichella: 5th
"I think we are in good shape after our first day of work here. The circuit was improving all the time this afternoon, but we made good progress with the set-up as well, and I think we were quite competitive. They have done a fantastic job with the resurfacing work, and the circuit is much better to drive now. The grip level was a bit low in the wet, but this afternoon it felt very good. Now we need to work hard overnight so we can build from this promising start to the weekend."
Heikki Kovalainen: 12th
"We got a lot done today in spite of the tricky conditions, and the basic balance of the car seems good. I need to find a little more pace from the car but I think we have some good directions for our work this evening, so we can do it. I learned the circuit quickly and I must say that I am really enjoying driving it, it is a fun track with a good mix of corners and gradient. I am looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow."
Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer
"With a wet track this morning, and a slowly drying circuit in the afternoon, we had to adapt our running programme to suit the conditions today. The main thing was to get both drivers comfortable with the soft and super-soft tyres we are using this weekend, which we managed to do without any problems."
"Given the wet weather this morning, we decided to use the session to resolve a small problem with Giancarlo's race chassis, to avoid any disruption to our qualifying preparation tomorrow morning. We did so successfully, and he then did a very good job to run so competitively this afternoon. Heikki learned the track quickly, and ran strongly in both wet and dry conditions. The car seems to be performing well here, and we have made a promising start to the weekend."
Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Track Operations:
"As is normal in Interlagos, with such a short lap-time, the field is very closely spaced and the competition in qualifying will be particularly intense. On the engine side, we could not learn much in the wet this morning, and that meant we had a busy afternoon as we tried to complete our normal preparatory work in the space of a single session. The engines performed well, the cars' speeds are competitive, and we had no technical issues at all. More than ever this weekend, it will be important to get every little detail right in our preparation, and we have made a good start on that today."
Giancarlo Fisichella
Chassis: R27-02 in morning, R27-05 T-car in afternoon
Free Practice 1: No time, 2 laps
Free Practice 2: 1:13.549, 22 laps
Heikki Kovalainen
Chassis: R27-03
Free Practice 1: 1:20.829, 19 laps
Free Practice 2: 1:13.879, 28 laps
-credit: renault
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Brazilian GP Friday 2nd practice
Next article McLaren leads on Brazilian GP Friday
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Giancarlo Fisichella
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
How Jordan took its last F1 victory on this day in 2003
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
How Jordan took its last F1 victory on this day in 2003
On this day in 2005: Kimi Raikkonen’s Suzuka masterclass
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
On this day in 2005: Kimi Raikkonen’s Suzuka masterclass
More from
Renault F1 Team
“I went back to the car and cried” – Esteban Ocon opens up about his unexpected year on F1 sidelines
Formula 1
Formula 1
“I went back to the car and cried” – Esteban Ocon opens up about his unexpected year on F1 sidelines
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Formula 1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
On this day: Michael Schumacher’s final unsportsmanlike manoeuvre
Formula 1
Formula 1
Monaco GP
On this day: Michael Schumacher’s final unsportsmanlike manoeuvre
Latest news
Five-time IndyCar champion, first-time Indy NXT driver: Alex Palou tops IMS road course test
Indy NXT
IndL Indy NXT 25 min
Five-time IndyCar champion, first-time Indy NXT driver: Alex Palou tops IMS road course test
Gabriel Bortoleto on Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar's F1 success: 'Let's see where we are in 20 years'
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
Gabriel Bortoleto on Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar's F1 success: 'Let's see where we are in 20 years'
Nicki Thiim's cheeky F1 jab: "Max Verstappen just wants to drive a proper race car!"
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 1 h
Nicki Thiim's cheeky F1 jab: "Max Verstappen just wants to drive a proper race car!"
MotoGP riders say 850cc bikes will be less physical and more fun to ride
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
1 h
MotoGP riders say 850cc bikes will be less physical and more fun to ride
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe