Symonds pleased with progress

Renault's new R25 is due to take to the test track in the near future and engineering chief Pat Symonds is pleased with the way it's shaping up. According to Symonds the RS25 engine will be more powerful than last year's unit, despite the changes aimed at slowing cars down. As for the rule that means engines will have to last for two races in 2005, he is not concerned.

Speaking at the Autosport show this week, Symonds said: "It all looks good. It's on test rigs at the moment and we're getting some basic data and checks before we go off testing in about 10 days time. The engine has progressed very well indeed."

"There are plenty of people who take their racing engines to Le Mans in June and they run around for 24 hours. There is nothing new about long-life engines. It does save money, though perhaps not as significantly as some people might think. The number of engines that we run on the dynamometer for development far exceeds the number we ever put in cars."

The team was at work at Jerez this week with test driver Franck Montagny behind the wheel of an interim chassis. "We have made good progress again this week, and the car ran without problems, averaging around 530 km per day," said chief test engineer Christian Silk.

Renault will launch the R25 in Monaco on February 1st. Giancarlo Fisichella tested before Christmas but Fernando Alonso has yet to do any winter work. That will change next week when Alonso and Montagny are scheduled to be on track at Barcelona.