Bahraini GP, Friday - 10 MAR 2006
The 2006 Formula 1 season began with two low-key practice
sessions this afternoon at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The new-for-2006 qualifying format requires teams to complete
a larger number of laps than last year, and expectations that
they would consequently limit their mileage on Friday proved
well-founded as the front-running drivers completed around
twenty laps during the day.
At Renault, the two sessions ran smoothly. After completing
two installation laps in the morning, both drivers then ran
identical programmes comprising one short run, and one longer
run to assess the consistency of the R26. Track conditions
were relatively low grip, and will improve throughout the
weekend as teams complete more running.
Today also saw a significant anniversary for Renault F1 Team
driver Giancarlo Fisichella. He started his first Grand Prix,
in Australia for Minardi, exactly ten years ago today. The
2006 Bahraini Grand Prix will be race 162 for the Italian.
Fernando Alonso, 15 laps total, P5, 1:32.538
We had a good first day. The track conditions will be changing
a lot throughout the weekend, and I expect them to get a lot
better because it was quite low grip today. The car feels
like it did in winter testing: it is comfortable to drive
and consistent, so I am quite happy with our situation. It
was nice to get back to the emotion of the races today, to
check the lap-times and to be back in competition. Also, it
was a special moment to go out on the track this morning with
the number 1 on the car. In terms of performance, we always
see the third cars high on the timesheets on Friday, because
they can use more revs and tyres than us. Even so, we are
P5, so I think we can have a competitive weekend.
Giancarlo Fisichella, 16 laps total, P8, 1:33.215
This was a very normal Friday for us, with nothing unusual
and no incidents. The car got better through the day as we
ran more and made some changes to the set-up, and we are still
feeling optimistic for the rest of the weekend. It is special
to think back to ten years ago today, and starting my first
race. Then, I was happy to be there, and now I am aiming for
the title – I have come a long way. But I don't think
I have changed. Well, I am older of course, but stronger too!
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
The new format of the weekend has seen teams take a variety
of different approaches to their Friday running, but as we
expected, the running was quite limited overall. I am not
sure that we have yet seen the true state of play between
the teams. At Renault, our day was quite straightforward,
we achieved what we set out to, so we are satisfied.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations
After analysing the demands of the new qualifying format,
it was to be expected that teams would run fewer laps today
in order to stay within the mileage limits they had established
for their engines. Of course, the obvious exception to this
is those teams that have the advantage of running with the
third car. We didn't encounter any unexpected surprises at
Renault, and our results tied in with the simulations we had
conducted prior to arriving in Bahrain. The temperatures so
far have been warm, but within our predicted levels, and the
V8 has behaved impeccably. Overall it already felt like a
‘normal' Friday's running.
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