Renault skips final day at Jerez

The ING Renault F1 Team chose to skip the final day of testing in Jerez after wet conditions meant it was impossible for the team to make meaningful progress with its programme of reliability testing.

The team decided that running in the conditions would be of little benefit, especially in light of the fact that the team’s two test drivers were scheduled to take to the track. While the race drivers would have been able to gain useful experience of the Bridgestone tyres in the wet, this was not the case for the test drivers, who will rarely be called upon to run in the wet.

The team therefore chose to begin preparations for its Barcelona test next week, and gave the technical teams a valuable opportunity to practice in-garage procedures as they prepare for the opening races of the year.

Chief Test Engineer Christian Silk commented: “It was a shame not to run today, but we felt this was the best solution for the team today. We therefore devoted much of the day to giving the mechanics a chance to train in certain procedures for the opening race, which was a useful exercise. But we already know that we will have a very busy week in Barcelona.”

The ING Renault F1 Team will therefore be back on track next week, from 12 to 14 February, at the Circuit de Catalunya. Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen will be in action for the team during the final European test session before the start of the 2007 season.