Renault makes positive start to weekend

Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso lapped just shy of practice pacesetter David Coulthard of McLaren in the opening hour of practice.

Pat Symonds, Renault's executive director of engineering, said: "Track conditions were good this morning, and we ran with good circuit temperatures given that it was only Friday morning. Consequently, we were able to complete some useful tyre work, evaluating choices for this and future races. The balance of the cars is quite good, and this session will prove a solid cornerstone for the rest of the weekend."

Not everything ran smoothly, however, as test driver Allan McNish suffered a few handling issues which delayed him. He was third fastest in the morning test.

"I had an imbalance in the car this morning, perhaps because of the low grip levels on the circuit, which meant we worked longer than normal on set-up to resolve it," reported McNish. "Once we had done, however, I had a reasonably consistent car for our tyre programmes. Given the way in which the temperatures are expected to change during the weekend, the tyre choice won't be easy, but I am pleased after a session in which we were all on the pace throughout."