Australian GP, Friday
Fernando fifth and Fisico eleventh after the first
day of practice in Melbourne.
The opening day of practice for the 2006 Australian Grand
Prix took place in overcast conditions and cool temperatures
at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit today, with track temperatures
barely reaching 25°C. As usual, the Renault F1 Team completed
only installation laps during the opening hour of running,
prior to beginning its full technical programme in the afternoon.
Fernando Alonso completed a positive afternoon's work with
his R26, but Giancarlo Fisichella's programme was cut short
after he suffered a fuel feed problem. This has now been fixed,
and will not require the V8 engine to be changed.
Fernando Alonso, P5, 16 laps total, 1:27.443
We seem to be in good shape. The conditions were quite windy
out on the track and the grip levels are poor at the moment,
but I am quite happy with the car even so. The grip levels
will improve as more rubber goes down on the track, which
will give all the drivers the confidence to attack more. But
at the moment, the Renault feels nice to drive, and our pace
is good. I think we are in a similar position to the other
races so far this season – aiming for the top positions
in qualifying, and hopefully on Sunday as well.
Giancarlo Fisichella, P11, 13 laps total, 1:28.280
It was a bit of a difficult day for me. The cold temperatures
meant the car was understeering a lot, and we had just started
to improve the balance when I felt something strange with
the engine. I brought the car back to the garage slowly, and
we found the fuel feed problem after the session. On the positive
side, Fernando's times showed that the car is quick at this
circuit so I think we will be in a strong position.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
We anticipated cooler conditions in Melbourne this year owing
to its later position in the calendar, and made our tyre choice
with that in mind. Even so, it is still not easy to get the
tyres working well in the cold weather. However, the problem
is the same for all the teams, and we made some good changes
with Fernando's car to put us on the right track. Giancarlo
stopped before the end of the session when we saw signs of
a potential engine problem. We will look to make up for the
lost set-up time during tomorrow's session.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations
Fernando's day ran smoothly, and we were able to complete
our normal programme with him, working on fine-tuning the
engine mapping for this circuit. Giancarlo experienced a performance
loss on the engine during the second session, which cost him
track time. We diagnosed a fuel feed problem after the session
ended, which has now been solved.
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