Di Grassi: Renault in good form for Monaco

Although former world champion Fernando Alonso has played down the team's expectations for Monaco, particularly with the R28 lacking in traction, di Grassi is more upbeat about the team's situation after trying out new updates.

"I think with the parts we tested, we made quite a big improvement," the Brazilian told autosport.com. "The car seems alright, so I think we're going to be closer to the front guys. I think both cars will have a chance to fight for big points. The car will be as quick as it was in Barcelona

"We were not expecting to be that quick in Turkey, but Fernando beat Red Bull and Williams and the rest. Now it looks like we are getting better. We are gaining a little bit more every time."

Di Grassi completed Renault's first day of running at Paul Ricard on Wednesday, but his efforts were cut short by an engine problem in the afternoon that prevented him for putting in a quick time at the end of the day.

"I think the test was good," he said. "The engine went in the middle of the afternoon when the track was getting better and better, so we couldn't finish the programme.

"I did 146 laps before the engine broke. We didn't really look at the times, and we only used soft tyres, and not the super softs."