Renault Valencia test notes 2006-02-16

Day two of testing for Renault in Valencia; high mileage for both drivers.

The Renault F1 Team enjoyed another productive day at Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit today, with both Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen completing over 100 laps during their running.

Giancarlo had planned to complete a race distance during the morning, before a hydraulic leak stopped the car at the start of his third 'stint'. However, this minor problem was quickly resolved and he then got back on track to conduct set-up and tyre programmes through the afternoon.

On the other side of the garage, Heikki Kovalainen's car ran like clockwork. The Finn conducted a major tyre evaluation programme with Michelin, completing medium-distance runs throughout the day.

In total, the cars completed 260 laps, which equates to 1041 km.

Giancarlo Fisichella:

"I had a few small problems again today, but nothing serious and I know that we have a reliable package. In spite of the small delays, I did 120 laps which is always a good total. The car is easy to drive and we are in front, so I am happy."

Heikki Kovalainen:

"Today was a very good one for me. The car was well balanced from the start, in spite of the wind. When that died down in the afternoon, we managed to make more progress and we found some good solutions with the tyres."

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer:

"This was one of our best days of the winter. We did more than 1000 km with only minor problems on both cars, and the R26 seems very competitive. Heikki completed his programme of tyre and brake testing without any problems, and we found some very interesting directions with the Michelin tyres."

"As for Giancarlo, his race distance was interrupted by a minor hydraulic problem, but he ran trouble-free this afternoon as he worked on set-up and tyre development."

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