Renault continues young driver test in Jerez
The Renault F1 Team completed a second day of young driver testing in Jerez today with young Chinese driver, Ho-Pin Tung, and the team's third driver, Lucas Di Grassi, sharing driving duties. Ho-Pin Tung spent the morning in the car as he sampled the R29 for the first time. The 26-year-old covered a total of 67 laps during a busy morning as he continued to evaluate new parts for the team ahead of the 2010 season.
In the afternoon Lucas Di Grassi took over the cockpit of the R29 and went on to complete a further 54 laps.
Ho-Pin Tung: "This was my first proper test in an F1 car and it was a great experience. To begin with I concentrated on finding a reasonable set-up and then got down to working through the programme with the engineers as we tested some parts for the 2010 car. The morning went by so quickly, but it was good to cover 67 laps and the track really improved throughout the morning. What impressed me most was the speed you can carry through the corners and the braking performance of these cars, which takes some getting used to. I learnt a lot today and really enjoyed working with the whole team. I will stay here tomorrow so that I can sit in on all the debriefs and continue learning."
Lucas Di Grassi: "It was a productive day and good for me to get back in a current F1 car for the first time in almost a year. It felt quite different to drive this car with slicks but I quickly got used to it and the systems on the car. Our programme was focussed on looking ahead to 2010 so we were running with high fuel loads and doing quite long runs. The track conditions were not too bad, but I think it will be even better tomorrow so we should be able to complete some more important work."
Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer: "We ran Ho-Pin for the first half of the day, starting off on scrubbed tyres before giving him a couple of new sets later in the morning. I was impressed with Ho-Pin as he settled into the car very quickly and worked well with the team. His driving style is quite well suited to an F1 car as he used the tyres well, had a good feel for the car and gave us precise feedback. The afternoon was mainly about getting Lucas comfortable in the car ahead of his full day tomorrow as this was his first time in the R29. Overall, we managed to complete our objectives for the day and we're well prepared for another productive day tomorrow."
