Renault and Red Bull raring to go in Sepang

Fabrice Lom, the ING Renault F1 Team’s principal race engineer for the Red Bull Racing programme, explains how the team’s engineers have been preparing for this weekend’s Malaysian GP at the Sepang International Circuit.

"Our first race went pretty well overall. Mark’s (Webber) qualifying position was a good starting point, and the end result was very encouraging. The race showed us that we still have some way to go in terms of overall reliability, because although both cars could have made it to the finish, they weren’t able to run the whole race at peak performance. We had some minor issues that restricted our pace, which was disappointing. But the relationship with Red Bull Racing is still very new, and our working methods are not yet instinctive. We are putting things in place step by step though, and there is good will to make it work on both sides. And that’s an encouraging situation!"

"It was a very productive test. We completed 90% of our planned programme during the four days, and the team was working flat out. It was a tough session for the personnel, but I think we made good progress. We hope to have solved the problems we suffered from in Australia, and we’re looking forward to the race this weekend."

"I think we are feeling pretty confident, both for the chassis and engine. The test last week was very productive, and even though it’s only testing, we hope to see a good level of performance, particularly over a single lap, and that should give us a good platform for the race. The team is working hard to achieve that objective. In terms of the engine itself, the data we collected last week was promising, and we don’t have any particular worries for the second race of the season. Everything has gone well so far – so we need to make sure it carries on like that!"