Spanish GP: Renault Friday notes

A mixed first day for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team at the Spanish Grand Prix. Following two hot, sunny sessions at the Circuit de Catalunya, Jenson Button placed third, while team mate Jarno Trulli finished in tenth position. The balance of the ...

A mixed first day for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team at the Spanish Grand Prix. Following two hot, sunny sessions at the Circuit de Catalunya, Jenson Button placed third, while team mate Jarno Trulli finished in tenth position. The balance of the car is a concern both share, and they are now looking to improve this further before Saturday's sessions.

Jarno Trulli, 10th position

"A difficult day for me: in particular, I struggled with the balance. I lost time this morning with an engine problem, and then concentrated on set-up during the afternoon. The car is still difficult to drive both at high and low speeds, and I now need to carry on working for both qualifying and the race."

Jenson Button, 3rd position

"Today was OK. The conditions were very difficult during the first session, because of the wind and the state of the track, but everybody was in the same situation. The car was difficult to drive - twitchy at the rear and understeering in the long corners. Even so, I managed to set a good time during the afternoon, and we now need to work further on the balance of the car."

Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Mild Seven Renault F1 Team

"As usual, we worked on race set-up today. The track conditions were difficult, and the slippery surface meant both drivers struggled to find a good balance. Having said that, we look very competitive overall, and now need to improve further before the race."

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

"A problem with a peripheral component on Jarno's engine delayed our programme this morning. Because of the time it took to locate and rectify the problem, he didn't get back on the circuit during the rest of the session. However, once the part in question had been replaced, we experienced no technical problems whatsoever. Today's programme allowed us to concentrate on optimising the engine's operation, given the small number of unknown variables here owing to the amount of testing we have completed."