"We found a good basic set-up with the car, in conditions similar to those we will have during the race weekend and, on a personal level, I have learned the circuit, the lines and the braking points, so that gives me a solid starting point for the race weekend."
Renault will bring a revised aero package to Sepang, although technical director Bob Bell is not forecasting that it will make a major impact on the pecking order just yet.
"At this stage, it is unrealistic to talk about catching
Ferrari or
McLaren – but we need to show that progress has been made, and that we are starting to close down the gap," he insisted, "The main gain in Malaysia will be a new front wing package, which will help with the performance. However, it is quite possible that the hierarchy of relative performance will actually be dominated by how well teams have responded to the FIA’s clarification of the bodywork regulations last week.
"The race weekend in Melbourne, and our testing last week in Sepang, showed that the car is well-balanced – particularly on old tyres - and that will be a definite strength. However, the other lesson from Australia was that we are lacking in overall grip, and this will certainly penalise us in the high speed corners. We just hope to have made progress and moved closer to the pacesetters, but the real verdict will come out on the track."
Finally, Renault will run special Hanjin branding in tribute to the late chairman and CEO of Hanjin Shipping, Sooho Cho, who died last December. Cho was a long-standing supporter of
F1, from his first involvement with Simtek, via Tyrrell and Benetton right through to the Renault era.
Ferrari – Felipe Massa (#5), Kimi Raikkonen (#6):
Ferrari were the team to beat in Australia and while admittedly Felipe Massa had problems in qualifying with the gearbox, and ended up starting from the back of the grid, it was a dream event for
Kimi Raikkonen, who did the triple - securing pole, taking the win and setting the fastest lap.
