Friday: Renault plays yo-yo in Brazil

The Renault F1 Team completed its first day of work at Interlagos with free practice sessions, in preparation for the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix. The team had a challenging start with times unworthy of the diamond logo. However, the team made a comeback in the afternoon with Alonso setting the fastest time in the very last minutes.

The weather somewhat disrupted Renault, preventing them from properly following their program. The drivers had difficulties adjusting their cars but have high hopes for the rain factor. Alonso wants to be ready to react to the slightest drop and take advantage of a competitive edge that some might not have predicted…

Romain Grosjean, for his part, continues to learn despite the pressure. It’s the first time the Geneva native is driving at Interlagos and he’s enjoying it. He plans to do even better tomorrow for the qualifiers. However, he did cause a red flag this morning when he hit a polystyrene sponsorship sign. Alonso also made a few mistakes.

Fernando Alonso – 16th and 1st:

The day was difficult because the weather conditions were constantly changing. It was therefore tricky to focus on the car’s settings. In the end, we managed to do some good runs, and the results were positive. I hope we can continue in this direction tomorrow. I think the weather conditions will be the key this weekend, so we have to be both ready and responsive. A very interesting weekend is coming up, and I hope we can maximize our preparation work.

Romain Grosjean – 20th and 11th:

« The workday was good, but the weather was unpredictable. We made good progress compared to this morning, and I will continue in a way that further improves my performance. It was my first run at Interlagos, the circuit is beautiful but very technical. I need to fine-tune my learning of this track while preparing for the qualifications and the race. »

Bob Bell – Director

The performances are very close today, and all the cars are within less than a second of each other. Thus, Fernando sets the fastest time and Romain, less than half a second behind, is eleventh. The biggest problem today was the lack of grip. I think everyone suffered from it. The balance of the car, however, wasn’t bad. We made some setup changes that were positive. As for the tires, we already have a fairly clear perception of their performance. We think we know how to approach our race, we just need to find a little more grip.

According to a press release from the Renault F1 Team