France Preview Quotes: Renault

Jarno Trulli

Q. Jarno, tell us a little about the circuit at Magny-Cours.

JT:

It is quite a technical circuit, with a little bit of everything: rapid changes of direction in the quick chicanes, and every type of corner, from slow hairpins to fast sweeping bends. From the driver's point of view, it is a fun circuit. And what can we expect in terms of your performance? We will be able to say a bit more about performance when we get there, but the track is well known for the smoothness of its surface, which means we can push the ride heights pretty low. Last year, Michelin were strong there as well, so I am looking forward to the race.

Q. You have spent much of your career with French teams: is this something of a home race for you?

JT:

Definitely, yes: this is a very important race for Renault, obviously, and we will have a lot of fans there from the company. Personally, I have a lot of support in France, and I enjoy racing there. It would be nice to race well for them and get a good result.

Fernando Alonso

Q. This will be your first French Grand Prix as a Renault driver: will competing at the team's home race bring any added pressure?

FA:

No, I don't think it brings added pressure: myself and the Team always do the best we can, whatever the race. The race will be a very special event for the team, especially the guys from Viry, and if we are going to get a strong result, then there is no better place to do it! However, Formula 1 is always difficult: you cannot ever make predictions with any certainty.

Q. What about the circuit itself â€" is it one you enjoy driving?

FA:

For me personally, this is a good circuit: whether it will be good for us in terms of performance, it is hard to say. I normally enjoy the French Grand Prix weekend: we have an exciting circuit and good weather! The best parts of the track are the high-speed chicanes: the car needs to be able to make very quick changes of direction, and that is always something special for a driver.

Q. The track has undergone some modifications this year: what do you think of them?

FA:

I have only seen the changes on a circuit map, but they look quite big â€" the end of the lap is very different. From what I can tell, I think the alterations will definitely help overtaking. The new chicane just before the start-finish line looks quite interesting too…

Franck Montagny, test driver

Q. Franck, this is the first time you have participated in a Grand Prix weekend. How do you feel?

FM:

I'm feeling very good: it's going to be a special moment. The fact that I am only doing two hours' running means I have to get to grips with everything quickly: you might call it an enjoyable challenge. Having said that, it's a shame that I won't be driving for the whole day, because it would allow me to take a break, and then get back fresher on track, and ready to attack properly. Even so, it's a fantastic opportunity, and I hope it all goes well!

Q. Are you at all apprehensive ahead of your run?

FM:

From my point of view as a driver, not at all. This will be my first run in the R23, and I am viewing it as a first test. If there is any pressure, it is on the team as a whole, as this session is traditionally used for tyre preparation for the race, and it must be hard for them to entrust that to a young driver. It proves the confidence they have in me, which is another reason to be relaxed!

Q. You are one of few drivers who have raced on the new circuit: what impact do the changes have?

FM:

Honestly, the changes don't make a massive difference: 80 to 85% of the circuit is still the same. They have replaced a medium-slow corner with a hairpin, introduced another hairpin and a chicane, so from a driving point of view, they are not necessarily the most challenging corners: the drivers will get used to the new section pretty quickly. Even so, I think my experience there will be a small advantage: the new layout has created another potential passing place, although there wasn't much overtaking in the World Series race. We'll see when we get there!

Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director

Q. Mike, what is your assessment of the team's performance at the Nurburgring?

MG:

We had quite a difficult start to the weekend, but managed to get the car reasonably competitive and well-balanced by race day. It was particularly disappointing to see Jarno retire, as we now need to get two cars to the finish of each race in order to keep in touch with the teams ahead of us in the championship. However, we also obtained a good result for Fernando, which brought us more valuable points.

Q. And what are your expectations for Magny-Cours?

MG:

I expect us to have a good race. It is the sort of circuit that should suit our package, demanding medium to high downforce levels and containing a number of quick corners. In sporting terms, our aim has to be to take points off the teams ahead of us in the championship, and reduce the gap. Of course, it is also our home race, and there will be a lot of people from Renault attending: although that doesn't bring any extra pressure, it's certainly an incentive to perform well and get a good result on their behalf.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering

Q. Last year, we saw that Magny-Cours was a Michelin track: do you expect the same to be true this year?

PS:

Yes, I do. Magny-Cours is a very difficult circuit for tyres â€" the loadings can be quite high, for example in the long, high-speed right-hander at Turn 3. Track conditions can vary widely at the circuit over the weekend, but it is the type of circuit that should suit the Michelin tyre.

Q. As track conditions vary so greatly with temperature, will running in the morning conditions during Friday testing make the data any less useful?

PS:

Magny-Cours is the circuit where grip and balance change more with temperature than anywhere else. While we are sure that our Friday session will once again be useful to us, we will need to use our experience of the circuit to anticipate the changes that will occur when the temperature rises in the afternoon.

Q. In terms of performance, how competitive do you expect to be?

PS:

I think we can be competitive: the circuit favours the Michelin tyre, and contains one long fast corner, as well as a number of quick chicanes, where we know our car performs well. Furthermore, the circuit demands good traction, another area in which we are strong. Of course, the circuit has been modified since last year, and we will need to establish the effect of these changes.