20 January 2008
Valencia Testing, Day 4, 24/01/2008
24/01/08 07:36
Nelson Piquet Jr, R28-01, 89 laps, 352 km, best
lap: 1’12:973
The ING Renault F1 Team completed its final day of work in Valencia today. The team was again running the new car, the R28, as preparations continue ahead of the new season.
Nelson Piquet Jr. was at the wheel of the R28-01, taking over driving duties from Fernando Alonso. It was the first time the young Brazilian had driven the new car, and so he spent the morning familiarising himself with the R28 and putting some more miles on the car.
Sunny conditions remained for the afternoon, allowing the team to continue with its development of the car. It was a chance to concentrate on improving the balance and to continue with the set-up programme that Fernando had started earlier in the week. It was another productive day with good reliability, and the team achieved its objectives. Nelson was happy to be back in the car and found the results of his first day in the R28 encouraging. He covered a total of 89 laps, with a best time of 1’12:973.
Next week both drivers will be in Paris where the R28 will be officially unveiled to the media on 31 January. It will then be on to the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, as the team resumes its winter testing programme from 1-3 February. The team will be running a two car programme with both Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr. in attendance.
Nelson Piquet Jr: “I think it was a good day and it was important for me to get back in the car. I have not raced in Formula 1 yet, so it’s always beneficial to have time in the car. A new car always needs lots of set-up work and we continued with that today, trying different approaches to improve the balance of the car. I think there is a lot of promise and I’m looking forward to continuing working with the team next week in Barcelona.”
Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer: “It was Nelson’s first day in the new car and everything went to plan. We started off with some acclimatisation work for Nelson before continuing with the set-up programme that we had begun with Fernando. The track conditions were good again this afternoon so we did some more long runs with the car.”
The ING Renault F1 Team completed its final day of work in Valencia today. The team was again running the new car, the R28, as preparations continue ahead of the new season.
Nelson Piquet Jr. was at the wheel of the R28-01, taking over driving duties from Fernando Alonso. It was the first time the young Brazilian had driven the new car, and so he spent the morning familiarising himself with the R28 and putting some more miles on the car.
Sunny conditions remained for the afternoon, allowing the team to continue with its development of the car. It was a chance to concentrate on improving the balance and to continue with the set-up programme that Fernando had started earlier in the week. It was another productive day with good reliability, and the team achieved its objectives. Nelson was happy to be back in the car and found the results of his first day in the R28 encouraging. He covered a total of 89 laps, with a best time of 1’12:973.
Next week both drivers will be in Paris where the R28 will be officially unveiled to the media on 31 January. It will then be on to the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, as the team resumes its winter testing programme from 1-3 February. The team will be running a two car programme with both Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr. in attendance.
Nelson Piquet Jr: “I think it was a good day and it was important for me to get back in the car. I have not raced in Formula 1 yet, so it’s always beneficial to have time in the car. A new car always needs lots of set-up work and we continued with that today, trying different approaches to improve the balance of the car. I think there is a lot of promise and I’m looking forward to continuing working with the team next week in Barcelona.”
Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer: “It was Nelson’s first day in the new car and everything went to plan. We started off with some acclimatisation work for Nelson before continuing with the set-up programme that we had begun with Fernando. The track conditions were good again this afternoon so we did some more long runs with the car.”
Valencia Testing, Day 3, 23/01/2008
23/01/08 07:35
Fernando Alonso, R28-01, 111 laps, 439 km, best
lap: 1’12:360
The ING Renault F1 Team continued its winter test programme in Valencia today. The team was again running the new R28 as preparations continue ahead of the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne in March.
With sunny conditions throughout the day, the team was able to complete its programme without any disruptions. Fernando Alonso was again in the R28-01, completing his third consecutive day of work with the team this week. Having completed a successful shakedown of the car earlier this week, the team turned its attention to work on improving the balance of the car.
For the afternoon, the team made the most of ideal track conditions to validate set-up options and complete some long runs with the car. The team also did some practice starts and carried out some pit stop training as the day came to a close.
The team enjoyed another productive day and was able to complete is programme as scheduled.
Fernando Alonso was pleased to have had a sustained period in the car and happy with the progress the team has made. Nelson Piquet Jr takes over driving duties for the final day tomorrow and will sample the R28 for the very first time.
Fernando Alonso: “The purpose of this test was to start running the new car and to try to understand how it works. My final day went well and again we ran without any problems and covered a lot of laps, but the time to improve the car will be during the next few test sessions. I feel very much at ease with the team and every day I feel more and more comfortable with the car. The next test cannot come soon enough. It was nice to see the support of the fans here today and that is always a big motivation.”
Christian Silk, Test Chief Engineer: “It was a more interesting day for the engineers as we carried out a more set-up based programme to try and find a good balance with the car. It all went to plan with the car responding well to all the changes we made, so it’s been a very encouraging day with good reliability. We also did some pit-stop practice towards the end of the day, which is normal procedure for a test.”
The ING Renault F1 Team continued its winter test programme in Valencia today. The team was again running the new R28 as preparations continue ahead of the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne in March.
With sunny conditions throughout the day, the team was able to complete its programme without any disruptions. Fernando Alonso was again in the R28-01, completing his third consecutive day of work with the team this week. Having completed a successful shakedown of the car earlier this week, the team turned its attention to work on improving the balance of the car.
For the afternoon, the team made the most of ideal track conditions to validate set-up options and complete some long runs with the car. The team also did some practice starts and carried out some pit stop training as the day came to a close.
The team enjoyed another productive day and was able to complete is programme as scheduled.
Fernando Alonso was pleased to have had a sustained period in the car and happy with the progress the team has made. Nelson Piquet Jr takes over driving duties for the final day tomorrow and will sample the R28 for the very first time.
Fernando Alonso: “The purpose of this test was to start running the new car and to try to understand how it works. My final day went well and again we ran without any problems and covered a lot of laps, but the time to improve the car will be during the next few test sessions. I feel very much at ease with the team and every day I feel more and more comfortable with the car. The next test cannot come soon enough. It was nice to see the support of the fans here today and that is always a big motivation.”
Christian Silk, Test Chief Engineer: “It was a more interesting day for the engineers as we carried out a more set-up based programme to try and find a good balance with the car. It all went to plan with the car responding well to all the changes we made, so it’s been a very encouraging day with good reliability. We also did some pit-stop practice towards the end of the day, which is normal procedure for a test.”
Valencia Testing, Day 2, 22/01/2008
22/01/08 07:34
Fernando Alonso, R28-01, 93 laps, 368 km, fastest
lap: 1’13:315
The ING Renault F1 Team was on track again today in Valencia, Spain to continue developing the new R28.
The team benefited from near-perfect track conditions with the sun shining and spring temperatures throughout the afternoon. Fernando Alonso was again at the wheel of the R28-01, and continued with set-up work this morning, varying the balance of the car and evaluating the changes. He then concentrated on completing some long runs in the afternoon to test the reliability of different aspects of the car and to gather as much data as possible.
Once again, the ING Renault F1 Team enjoyed a productive day and completed its programme without encountering any problems with the new car. By the end of the day Fernando had covered 368 km and set the sixth fastest time in 1’13:315.
The Spaniard will be in the R28 again tomorrow for his last day of work with the team this week. He will then hand over driving responsibilities to Nelson Piquet Jr, who will experience the R28 for the first time on Thursday.
Fernando Alonso: “The second day ran smoothly and without any problems. I was able to get on with my programme and had good discussions with my engineers at the end of the day. I completed some long runs this afternoon, and the car was reacting well, so the results are encouraging. We now need to keep moving forward and developing the car.”
Christian Silk, Test Chief Engineer: “We were able to achieve most of the objectives that we set ourselves for the second day of work. When you start working with a new car, you have to make sure that all the systems on the car are reliable and functioning correctly. That is what we concentrated on today, and from that point of view everything went well. Tomorrow we will begin a programme which will be more interesting for the drivers and the engineers, which will allow us to gather more data.”
The ING Renault F1 Team was on track again today in Valencia, Spain to continue developing the new R28.
The team benefited from near-perfect track conditions with the sun shining and spring temperatures throughout the afternoon. Fernando Alonso was again at the wheel of the R28-01, and continued with set-up work this morning, varying the balance of the car and evaluating the changes. He then concentrated on completing some long runs in the afternoon to test the reliability of different aspects of the car and to gather as much data as possible.
Once again, the ING Renault F1 Team enjoyed a productive day and completed its programme without encountering any problems with the new car. By the end of the day Fernando had covered 368 km and set the sixth fastest time in 1’13:315.
The Spaniard will be in the R28 again tomorrow for his last day of work with the team this week. He will then hand over driving responsibilities to Nelson Piquet Jr, who will experience the R28 for the first time on Thursday.
Fernando Alonso: “The second day ran smoothly and without any problems. I was able to get on with my programme and had good discussions with my engineers at the end of the day. I completed some long runs this afternoon, and the car was reacting well, so the results are encouraging. We now need to keep moving forward and developing the car.”
Christian Silk, Test Chief Engineer: “We were able to achieve most of the objectives that we set ourselves for the second day of work. When you start working with a new car, you have to make sure that all the systems on the car are reliable and functioning correctly. That is what we concentrated on today, and from that point of view everything went well. Tomorrow we will begin a programme which will be more interesting for the drivers and the engineers, which will allow us to gather more data.”
The ING Renault F1 Team completes its first day with the R28
21/01/08 07:32
Fernando Alonso R28-01, 39 laps, 131 km, fastest
lap: 1’13.027
After completing a successful test a Jerez last week, the ING Renault F1 Team moved to Valencia this week for the first test with the R28, the new car that will be officially launched to the press on 31 January 2008.
Fernando Alonso was the first Renault driver to try the new car, and spent the opening day concentrating on checking the general functions of the car and making sure all the systems were operating correctly.
Fernando was happy to experience the new car and did not encounter any problems as the team completed its programme for the day. Despite foggy conditions in the morning, which delayed the opening of the track, the Spaniard was able to complete a number of runs towards the end of the day, completing a total of 39 laps.
Fernando will be in the car until Wednesday, and will then hand over driving duties to his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr, who will experience the R28 for the first time on Thursday.
Fernando Alonso: “When you have your first day with a new car, you always have to take your time to check that all the systems are functioning correctly, and that is what we did today. We were able to lengthen our runs little by little and ended the day with a 17-lap stint. Everything went well, but it is still too early to try and compare our performance with that of other teams, and that was not the objective today. The good news is that we encountered few problems, and we will be able to continue our work tomorrow.”
Christian Silk, Test Chief Engineer: “It was a good first day of work, which is always important with a new car. The whole team is very enthusiastic about working with the R28 and it is clear that everyone has given their all to get this new car on track. We were able to follow our programme without any difficulties and there were no big surprises with the new car. It is a solid basis on which we can build in the days to come.”
Bob Bell, Technical Director, Chassis: “Today has been very successful. We completed just under 40 laps and the car ran pretty much trouble-free – that is about as good a first day as you can expect with a new car. We would have completed our first run pretty much on time if it had not been for the weather, and I think that’s a real tribute to the whole factory and all the hard work that has been put in to get this car here today. Overall, a really positive first day’s work.”
After completing a successful test a Jerez last week, the ING Renault F1 Team moved to Valencia this week for the first test with the R28, the new car that will be officially launched to the press on 31 January 2008.
Fernando Alonso was the first Renault driver to try the new car, and spent the opening day concentrating on checking the general functions of the car and making sure all the systems were operating correctly.
Fernando was happy to experience the new car and did not encounter any problems as the team completed its programme for the day. Despite foggy conditions in the morning, which delayed the opening of the track, the Spaniard was able to complete a number of runs towards the end of the day, completing a total of 39 laps.
Fernando will be in the car until Wednesday, and will then hand over driving duties to his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr, who will experience the R28 for the first time on Thursday.
Fernando Alonso: “When you have your first day with a new car, you always have to take your time to check that all the systems are functioning correctly, and that is what we did today. We were able to lengthen our runs little by little and ended the day with a 17-lap stint. Everything went well, but it is still too early to try and compare our performance with that of other teams, and that was not the objective today. The good news is that we encountered few problems, and we will be able to continue our work tomorrow.”
Christian Silk, Test Chief Engineer: “It was a good first day of work, which is always important with a new car. The whole team is very enthusiastic about working with the R28 and it is clear that everyone has given their all to get this new car on track. We were able to follow our programme without any difficulties and there were no big surprises with the new car. It is a solid basis on which we can build in the days to come.”
Bob Bell, Technical Director, Chassis: “Today has been very successful. We completed just under 40 laps and the car ran pretty much trouble-free – that is about as good a first day as you can expect with a new car. We would have completed our first run pretty much on time if it had not been for the weather, and I think that’s a real tribute to the whole factory and all the hard work that has been put in to get this car here today. Overall, a really positive first day’s work.”