San Marino GP: Renault Friday notes

The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team made a generally positive start to the San Marino Grand Prix during the first day of practice at Imola. During the morning, Jarno Trulli set the seventh fastest time of the day on a wet circuit. A mistake at the final chicane during the second session caused him to spin, lightly damaging his car. Jenson Button had a difficult morning, but nevertheless succeeded in conducting important tyre comparisons in changing conditions. He finished the day in fourteenth position.

Jarno Trulli, 7th position

"Overall, I'm happy that we did a good job today. I was pleased with the balance and the performance of the car this morning, which meant we could complete good race preparation work. The track was a little strange this afternoon, but the car was still handling well until I made a mistake on one of my timed laps and spun, losing the front wing. Even so, it's been a positive day, and I'm confident that we can be competitive if it rains for the race."

Jenson Button, 14th position

"This morning was a little difficult, and I didn't really get to grips with the car. Having said that, both sessions allowed us to get some good comparisons between the different wet and intermediate tyres. We also worked to improve the car's balance during the afternoon, and we're definitely making progress."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Mild Seven Renault F1 Team

"In difficult conditions, the track didn't change quite as we had expected it to. However, we still learned a lot about the tyres, and which wet compound we will be using. Jenson still hasn't got the balance he's looking for on his car, while Jarno unfortunately lost time with his spin this afternoon."

Denis Chevrier, Head of Race Engineering (Engine), Mild Seven Renault F1 Team

"An abnormal session from the engine side. In these conditions, the real priority is to find the best tyres for the changing characteristics of the circuit, and this means that other areas, including the engine, are slightly less important than usual. However, the conditions favour an intermediary usage of the engine, in the sense that parameters such as driveability become more important than outright performance, and both drivers were pleased with two problem-free sessions."

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