Bahrain Friday quotes: Renault

"Also, it was a special moment to go out on the track this morning with the number 1 on the car. In terms of performance, we always see the third cars high on the timesheets on Friday, because they can use more revs and tyres than us. Even so, we are P5, so I think we can have a competitive weekend."

Giancarlo Fisichella - 8th: "This was a very normal Friday for us, with nothing unusual and no incidents. The car got better through the day as we ran more and made some changes to the set-up, and we are still feeling optimistic for the rest of the weekend.

"It is special to think back to ten years ago today, and starting my first race. Then, I was happy to be there, and now I am aiming for the title - I have come a long way. But I don't think I have changed. Well, I am older of course, but stronger too!"

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "The new format of the weekend has seen teams take a variety of different approaches to their Friday running, but as we expected, the running was quite limited overall. I am not sure that we have yet seen the true state of play between the teams. At Renault, our day was quite straightforward, we achieved what we set out to, so we are satisfied."

Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations: "After analysing the demands of the new qualifying format, it was to be expected that teams would run fewer laps today in order to stay within the mileage limits they had established for their engines. Of course, the obvious exception to this is those teams that have the advantage of running with the third car.

"We didn't encounter any unexpected surprises at Renault, and our results tied in with the simulations we had conducted prior to arriving in Bahrain. The temperatures so far have been warm, but within our predicted levels, and the V8 has behaved impeccably. Overall it already felt like a 'normal' Friday's running."