Renault at Valencia

The Renault F1 Team today began three days of testing at Valencia, with Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen in action for the team at the wheel of the new R26.Heikki Kovalainen completed a race simulation during the morning in order to reach maximum mileage with his engine, before the planned change of the V8 unit. On the other side of the garage, Giancarlo Fisichella worked on set-up evaluation and tyre development with Michelin.

He was delayed by several small problems this afternoon, but was nevertheless able to complete useful work on his programmes. Giancarlo Fisichella "I had a few problems today which meant I didn't do as many laps as I wanted to. Nevertheless, we are still on the right track. We are running to get miles on the car at the moment, not to set impressive times. I am still feeling very confident with the R26."

Heikki Kovalainen "I had a very good day. I managed a race distance this morning, before doing some brake development in the afternoon. We focused on doing long runs, and the times make me think we are competitive again at this track. We are making progress every day, and the car seems reliable. I am happy."

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer "Heikki enjoyed a very good morning, and completed a race simulation without any problems. We then changed his engine, and completed a short brake programme this afternoon. Giancarlo had a more difficult time, with several small problems holding him up, and red flags interrupting his runs. In spite of this, we had a good day overall, and once again managed to do plenty of laps."