By Renault F1
December 6 2006

No rest for the wicked, as the test team start work in Jerez! After getting back into the groove of winter testing last week in Barcelona, the Renault F1 Team began work in Jerez, near Seville, today for three days of testing. No rest for the wicked, as the test team start work in Jerez!

After getting back into the groove of winter testing last week in Barcelona, the Renault F1 Team began work in Jerez, near Seville, today for three days of testing.

Heikki Kovalainen continued the work begun last week in Barcelona at the wheel of the R26, while Giancarlo Fisichella was in action for the first time since October’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

The programme closely resembled last week’s as the drivers focused on understanding the Bridgestone tyres, and putting miles on the new 2007 gearbox.

In spite of poor track conditions in the morning, which limited the team’s effective running, the engineering team was pleased with the progress that had been made.

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer
"We found some interesting directions for the rest of the week on Heikki's car, while Giancarlo basically found his feet with the new tyres. The morning session was not very productive owing to the conditions, but I think we managed to do some good work in the circumstances, and given ourselves a good platform for the rest of the week."

Giancarlo Fisichella
"This was a good day back at work for me. I didn't run much this morning, and I was just concentrating on learning about the new tyres. I learned some useful things today, and will continue in the same direction tomorrow."

Heikki Kovalainen
"We lost a lot of running time this morning because it took a long time for the track to dry out properly, and we didn't see any point in running when the track wasn't ready. In spite of that, we did some important tests that help us better understand our conclusions from Barcelona, and that is a good step. We were not looking to set quick times, but instead focusing on the programme, and our progress meant it was a positive day for the team."

Giancarlo finished the day 14th fastest with a time of 1:21.282, while Heikki was 9th quickest with a lap of 1:20.784.