Malaysian Grand Prix, Practice
The results of the Friday sessions for ING Renault
F1 Team.
Giancarlo Fisichella
Free Practice 1: P15, 1:38.300, 26 laps
Free Practice 2: P2, 1:35.910, 36 laps
Fastest Lap on Hard Tyre: 1:37.643
Fastest Lap on Soft Tyre: 1:35.910
Heikki Kovalainen
Free Practice 1: P14, 1:38.143 , 24 laps
Free Practice 2: P3, 1:36.106, 37 laps
Fastest Lap on Hard Tyre: 1:36.997
Fastest Lap on Soft Tyre: 1:36.106
The ING Renault F1 Team enjoyed a trouble-free opening day
of practice for the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International
Circuit. Both drivers completed their full, planned technical
programmes during the three hours of running permitted today,
with a total of over 60 laps per car. Track temperatures reached
nearly 50°C today, meaning the main priority for the team
was achieving a consistent balance, and confirming the tyre
performance noted during testing last week. Both drivers found
the car inconsistent initially, but made progress working
with their engineers to reach a more comfortable compromise
by the end of the second practice session. Even so, grip levels
were still low, a situation that will hopefully improve as
the circuit rubbers in more through the weekend.
Giancarlo Fisichella
It was a pretty normal Friday for me, and we managed to do
a lot more running than in Australia, which is a good start.
The balance of the car is not too bad, but we are lacking
grip, and that marks the car nervous and inconsistent to drive.
Of course, the hot conditions always mean grip levels are
lower, but we made some decent progress today – and
hopefully that can continue tomorrow. Physically, it was tough
out there today, especially as I have been suffering from
the flu in the past couple of day. But by Sunday, I am confident
everything will be OK.
Heikki Kovalainen
It was a really good Friday for me, especially compared to
the first day of practice in Australia. After the test last
week, it was good to complete another 60 laps today and get
in tune with the circuit again. In terms of the car's handling,
it was quite like the final day of the test: the balance wasn't
too bad, and improved in line with the circuit conditions,
just as it will have done for all the drivers. The heat makes
life tough here, and it is going to be a long, hard race but
I feel well prepared after the test. In terms of competitiveness,
we don't really know where we stand at the moment, as we can't
know what the other teams were doing. But the picture will
become clearer tomorrow.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
As the second practice session progressed, track conditions
became much more like they were last week – and accordingly,
we reached the same relatively good compromise for the balance
of the car, as we had achieved by the final day of the test.
Just like the car, the tyres were behaving in the same manner
too, and we can therefore be reasonably confident that the
data we collected last week remains relevant for our work.
It is always nice to see our drivers at the correct end of
the timesheets, but it is relatively obvious that we were
running lower fuel and new tyres at the right time of the
session. There are no miracles in racing, and we will only
be able to assess our true competitiveness after qualifying
and the race.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Track Operations
300 km per car is our notional target for each of the new-format
Friday sessions, and it was pleasing to achieve that target,
after failing to do so in Australia. The test last week gave
us a good baseline to work from, and means we are a little
better prepared than would normally be the case. On the technical
front, we had no problems and everything is working normally.
We will hope to build on our good start to the weekend as
we prepare for qualifying and the race.
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