Friday: Alonso and Renault avoid drowning!

Renault F1 Team completed its first day of work in Suzuka with free practice sessions, in preparation for the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix. These sessions were largely shortened due to weather conditions. Indeed, rain made an appearance on this first day and the drivers did not do many laps.

Fernando Alonso is one of the drivers who completed the most laps in the first session, thus evaluating the intermediate tires and the front wing. The afternoon is even more ‘light’ on wet tires. The Spaniard is still the 7th fastest of the day. His teammate is far behind, running beyond the 14th place. His start to the weekend is once again difficult.

Fernando Alonso – 7th and 7th:

« Today, we were unable to do much running due to the incessant rain, but we believe the race will take place on a dry track. Therefore, the lack of running won’t be penalizing. Tomorrow, the situation will be new for everyone. We are satisfied with the car, which is working well, but the real work will begin on Saturday morning. »

Romain Grosjean – 20th and 14th:

« Due to the rain, today’s tests were a bit difficult and it’s a shame. I was still able to do a few laps and it allowed me to learn the circuit, which I am discovering. This afternoon, I only did four laps, but they were useful. Looking forward to tomorrow, so we can continue the work! »

Bob Bell – Team Director:

« The rain didn’t stop all day. We were able to use the intermediate tires this morning, but could only switch to the rain tires this afternoon. This gave us an idea of how these tires perform on this circuit. We also have a good idea of the setup to adopt in these conditions. Other than that, it was difficult to learn anything today. The forecast calls for rain tomorrow morning, but qualifying should take place in dry conditions. We might use the slick tires for the first time on this occasion, which could make the session very interesting.

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team