Trulli recaps on Melbourne

The first Grand Prix of the season for the Renault F1 Team also brought the season's first points, with Jarno Trulli (5th) and Fernando Alonso (7th). The result means the Team can approach the next Grand Prix in a confident frame of mind: in the ...

The first Grand Prix of the season for the Renault F1 Team also brought the season's first points, with Jarno Trulli (5th) and Fernando Alonso (7th). The result means the Team can approach the next Grand Prix in a confident frame of mind: in the meantime, Jarno, speaking from the other side of the world, shared his thoughts on the Australian Grand Prix before heading to Malaysia.

Jarno Trulli.

Photo by uli@ulistich.com.

"The test session on Friday morning was a big help," he explained. "We completed 631 km with three cars in just two hours: we had good reliability and that allowed us to collect some useful information, particularly on the tyres. In qualifying on Friday, we weren't aiming at all-out performance: that meant I could concentrate on just setting a decent time."

"Saturday's free practice allowed me to fine-tune the car's set-up. To be honest, I hadn't expected it to be handling so well, and I finished the morning with the quickest time, without having really pushed to the limit. I had high hopes for the afternoon qualifying session, even though our strategy meant we were running with a heavy fuel load. Unfortunately, a small mistake in the first corner cost me half a second and left me twelfth on the grid. Not great."

"At the start of the race, I had no option but to use dry tyres: I had so much fuel in the car that I couldn't afford to stop after a few laps to change tyres. It was a risk, but that decision paid off. The first few laps with lots of fuel were very tricky: bit by bit, though, the car became more and more competitive as it got lighter."

"In the end, my biggest problem turned out be fighting the tyres, which were behaving strangely: the first two sets I used didn't give the grip we had expected. It was only at the final pit-stop that I got a perfect set."

"Apart from this small problem, my race was pretty uneventful. The lap times were in the same range as the leaders, which was a little surprising. The strategy was perfect, the car stayed reliable and we finished the weekend with both drivers in the points. Good job Renault!"

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