Friday: Renault has not yet set its watches to the right time

Renault F1 Team experienced a busy first day of testing at the Yas Marina circuit in preparation for the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, the results were not as expected, as both drivers, Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean, finished outside the top 15 in both practice sessions.

Like the other drivers, the feeling in the second session was better when the conditions were more conducive to racing. Despite this, the performances did not improve. The team has a lot of work to do tonight in data analysis to maximize its chances tomorrow. Fortunately, a third test session will not be too much before the afternoon qualifications which will take place in the same conditions as free practice 2.

Fernando Alonso – 16th and 16th:

« Today, we put the wheels on the Yas Marina circuit for the first time. We had to learn the track, which was quite dirty at the beginning, and work in the best way to set up the car. We evaluated many different solutions and made good progress, focusing mainly on grip and traction out of slow corners. As we expected, the track was dirty at first, but once the rubber started to lay down, I had a good feeling with the circuit and the car. We have a lot of information to analyze tonight, and this will allow us to make changes in the morning to improve performance before the qualifiers.

Romain Grosjean – 20th and 18th:

The circuit is very interesting and it has two faces. The first is quite traditional and the other, in the third sector, consists of 90-degree turns. It is therefore a challenge. I really like the first two sectors, and perhaps a little less the last one: no mistakes are allowed there. These two different characteristics make it difficult to set up the car. The track temperature, very different between the first and second session, also played a role in our program. We took to the track during the day and at night, which allowed us to acclimate. I can’t wait for tomorrow to continue the work we started today.

Bob Bell – Team Principal

« It was an interesting Friday. Upon arriving here, we thought we might struggle a bit due to track conditions, but it was cleaner than expected. For us, the main focus today was to evaluate the tires during both sessions, and our primary concern was the degradation of the rear tires. This affected us, especially in slow corners, where we experienced oversteer. In fast curves, the car was better adjusted, with just a bit of understeer. We made good progress today and have a clear idea of what we need to do for tomorrow. »

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team