Rain Hampers Renault at Paul Ricard

The Renault team kicked off today a four-day test at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, with three drivers working at the French track.

The day's work, however, was hampered by a heavy rain and fog, and the team were unable to begin testing until the afternoon. Spaniard Fernando Alonso was the quickest of the three men on track, with Scot Allan McNish and Italian Jarno Trulli finishing behind him.

"We lost the entire morning due to bad weather," explained test team manager Carlos Nunes. "However we managed to do the shakedown of both hybrid cars. We were also able to conduct some wet tyre testing and a software development, in spite of the limited running.

"We are hopeful that tomorrow will be a more productive day for both drivers."

Renault unveiled their new R23 on Monday, and the car will take to the track again on Thursday. The Toyota team were also on track, but no times were issued by the team.

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time Laps 1. Alonso Renault (M) 1:47.397 23 2. McNish Renault (M) 1:47.918 10 3. Trulli Renault (M) 1:56.518 7 All Timing Unofficial

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