Malaysian GP: Renault Friday practice notes

The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team concluded a positive opening day at the Malaysian Grand Prix with Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso in sixth and eighth places respectively at the end second practice. Today's programme focused primarily upon choosing tyres for the race, and the team will make its final decision this evening. The handling of the R24 improved during the day and, although there is still progress to be made, both drivers were happy with the car after today's two sessions.

Jarno Trulli:

"We ran a big programme today, particularly in terms of the set-up and the tyres. The first positive to draw from the day is that we had no problems at all, the second that we are not far from the quickest cars on the timesheet. We still need to work on the general grip level as well as the handling, but we can nevertheless be pleased with the progress we made today."

Fernando Alonso:

"The main job today was to do the tyres, and we have completed a good amount of work on this point. The car seems quite sensitive to changes in temperature, with the handling altering significantly according to the weather conditions, and we still have a fair amount of work to do in order to get the set-up right."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:

"The concentration today was on tyre selection for the race. Before arriving in Sepang, we felt there would be little to choose between the two tyres we brought here, and that indeed proved so: we have some data analysis to conduct this evening in order to determine our final choice. In terms of the cars? balance, both were rather nervous at the beginning of the day and while they improved, there is still some way to go in this respect. The engine performed well in the high ambient temperatures, and the cooling of the car seems under control."

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager:

"Our objective was to avoid any incidents and have a trouble-free day: we achieved this, experiencing no problems in terms of cooling or performance. The times suggest that the battle at the front will be very close and, given that everybody ran a similar number of laps today, any potential advantage will be found in how well we prepare the cars for race conditions. This will be our primary focus tomorrow."

Jarno Trulli
Chassis: R24-03
Session 1: 13th, 1:37.816
Session 2: 6th, 1:35.115

Fernando Alonso
Chassis: R24-02
Session 1: 10th, 1:37.119
Session 2: 8th, 1:35.300

Spare car: R24-01
Spare chassis: R24-04

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