Canadian GP: Renault Friday practice notes

Fernando second and Jarno eleventh after a difficult day in Canada.

The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team experienced a complicated opening day at the Canadian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli finished the second free practice session in second and eleventh positions respectively, but the day did not run smoothly.

Trulli suffered an electrical problem in the morning session and steering problems in the afternoon, which saw him spend a large part of the session in the garage. As a result of these problems, the team was not able to complete its planned programme, and there remains plenty of work to do on Saturday.

Fernando Alonso:

"It was a normal Friday for me: I had to try the two types of tyres, and try and improve the car balance as much as possible. The track was very dirty at the start of the day, although things improved later on as cars laid down some rubber. We still have plenty of work to do to improve my feeling with the car - we haven't got enough grip, and there is time to be found in the car, with the improving track conditions, but I can also improve some more as well."

Jarno Trulli:

"I had a difficult time today. It seemed like each time I left the garage to do a run, I had a problem with the car that made things more difficult. We didn't complete the mileage we had wanted to during the two sessions, and we still have lots of work left to do tomorrow."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:

"This was not an easy day. Track conditions were very poor to start with, and we lost the ability to complete a tyre comparison on Jarno's car after he suffered a steering problem. Fernando conducted a reasonable tyre test, but even this was compromised by traffic on some of his laps, and therefore the tyre choice is not immediately obvious. We still have work to do on the balance of the cars, which is normal for a Friday, but we also have the normal Montreal brake problems to contend with. All in all, there is a lot to do tonight."

Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Operations:

"A traditional Friday session from our point of view. Even more so than usual, today's times make it difficult to get a good idea of how competitive our rivals are, and who might be quick on Sunday. On the engine side, we concentrate on our usual preparatory programmes and we believe the engine is well suited to the demands of this circuit. The other point worth noting is that lap times are significantly faster than last year, which will certainly have an impact on how the race is approached."

Fernando Alonso, 2nd
Chassis: R24-02
Practice session 1: 1:15.606, 14 laps
Practice session 2: 1:14.426, 29 laps

Jarno Trulli, 11th
Chassis: R24-03
Practice session 1: 1:15.428, 11 laps
Practice session 2: 1:15.492, 17 laps

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