US GP: Renault Friday notes

The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team completed a satisfactory first day's practice for the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis. In spite of a slippery 'green' circuit that saw a number of cars spin throughout the two sessions, both drivers succeeded in completing a significant number of laps as part of their usual Friday programme.

Jenson Button stopped out on the circuit at the end of the second session after the Team's telemetry indicated a potential gearbox problem and he was instructed to switch the car off.

Jarno Trulli, 8th position

"A good first day. As usual, we spent our Friday concentrating on race set-up and I was able to lap without any problems. Having said that, I'm still not happy with the balance and we have some work to do before tomorrow. As for the track, it is still very green but I have to admit I was encouraged to see so many people here today - I enjoy competing in front of the American fans!"

Jenson Button, 13th position

"Although I started the day well, I didn't manage to make as much progress as I had wanted to during the two sessions. The balance is not quite there yet and we obviously need to improve further. At the end, the team told me to pull off in order to look after the car."

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

"An interesting session during which we achieved our major objective of tyre selection but have not fully got on top of the balance we require from the cars. Of course, as always on Friday, there were certainly different fuel loads amongst our competitors but the times are nevertheless very close, and we will need to fine-tune the balance for tomorrow."

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

"Having completed a total of eighty-one laps, we can call this a pleasantly uneventful day. We had no problems with the cars and were able to concentrate on long runs in preparation for Sunday. Given how close the times are, it would be unrealistic to predict any kind of order after today's session but it is fair to say that we have no reason to be worried."

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