By role
March 29 2004

Renault is getting ready for this weekend's Bahraini Grand Prix. The heat, the sand and the lack of knowledge of a new track means that the team will have to work hard to extract the maximum from the car. Jarno Trulli knows he will face a tough race but that the R24 is a car that adapts well to cold temperatures:

"The R24 seemed to go well in Malaysia, but we did see the handling change quite a lot with the temperature, and we were slightly surprised by what happened during the race. But we have learned from that, and overall the car performs well in high temperatures: it will be a hard race, just like in Sepang, but we can be quite confident I think." He said. "The main key is to be adaptable: the only circuit you can drive on is the one you find at that particular moment. It definitely makes our life harder, because we are used to racing in predictable conditions during the race, and we make set-up decisions accordingly. Whatever happens though, we must deal with it and adapt - that is always true during a race, but it may prove to be even more so in Bahrain."

Trulli recognizes that the key to know a new track is the preparation the driver does prior to actually driving in the circuit:

"Our main preparation comes on Wednesday or Thursday when we do our circuit walk with the engineers: before that, you can discuss some points, but a map can only really tell you which way the corners go. The test will come on Friday, because we will be learning the circuit, deciding about tyres and trying to set the car up: for sure, that will be a big challenge." He ads.

Trullui is excited about his first visit to Bahrain:


"...it will be my first time out in the desert, and in the Middle East, so I am anticipating an interesting week. The circuit will definitely be one of the best we go to in terms of facilities, and we can expect safety standards to be very high. There will be a lot of new experiences in the city as well, which is always something to be enjoyed.