Renault concludes its young driver test program in Jerez

The Renault F1 Team has completed its three-day testing program reserved for young drivers. The team’s third driver, Lucas Di Grassi, completed 123 laps at the wheel of the R29 yesterday. The young Chinese driver Ho-Pin Tung also had the opportunity to do a few more laps in addition to the 67 laps completed on Wednesday, but this time on a wet track.

Yesterday morning, the weather conditions were mixed. It rained late in the morning, and the track was wet until early afternoon. These conditions gradually improved, and Lucas was able to complete the team’s technical program.

The main objective was to continue assessing developments for 2010 and to accumulate as many kilometers as possible.

Lucas Di Grassi declared: « The day was very busy and I completed well over 100 laps. The day’s program was very diverse: we worked on performance, did long runs, and conducted simulations for 2010. For my part, it was good to be back in an F1 seat. The program over the last two days has allowed me to gain a lot of experience. We managed to accomplish the most important tasks. Everything we learned, I hope, will be useful for the development of next year’s car. »

Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer added: We had a very productive testing day with Lucas. Today’s program was based on preparations for next year. The car was fuelled this morning and we worked on the brake systems. This afternoon, we conducted tests on the rear and front suspensions of the single-seater. Ho-Pin was at the wheel of the R29 when the track was wet to gain experience in these conditions. Overall, it was a good week for us: the team worked very hard and we gathered very important data that will be useful for the development of the 2010 car.

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team