Montagny: It's great to get an R24.

After completing several thousand miles at the wheel of last year's R23, Renault F1 test driver Franck Montagny has admitted that he is grateful to finally get his first taste of the potent R24.

The Frenchman, promoted to the role of official test and reserve driver at the expense of Allan McNish this season, is benefiting from the start of the European season which, with all the team's equipment now back from the Far and Middle East, allows it to run a brace of the newer cars in testing. Montagny has been putting in the miles doing tyre testing in last year's car, but took the wheel of the new car for the first time this week at Paul Ricard.

"For a driver, it is always special when you get to drive a new car for the first time," he admitted, "After watching Jarno [Trulli] and Fernando [Alonso] race the R24 during the first three races of the season, I was eager to get an idea of the car's performance. As soon as I got behind the wheel, I could feel a difference. There's just as little room - it's still an F1 car - and I sit a lot lower."

Montagny is barred from taking part in the Friday practice sessions at grands prix courtesy of Renault's top four finishing position in 2003, and was immediately able to tell the difference between the two cars.

"The R24 is quicker than its predecessor, there's no doubt about it," he enthused, "And, because you are going through the corners quicker, you need to be a bit more careful - the car is not yet as stable as the R23.

"The engine is also completely different to the RS23. The power is better, but what I felt immediately was how differently the power is delivered. The power curve is very linear. The progress the team has made is clear. I was also lucky to have my first drive with the 'B' spec engine, which the team will use for the first time at Imola."

Montagny believes that his testing role will now take on a new dimension, with him able to provide more relevant feedback for the future development of the R24.

"Towards the end, the R23 was primarily used for tyre testing and some handling work - now, I'll be driving the proper race car," he said, "Each kilometre at the wheel of the R24 will be useful. We won't be looking at areas that can be transposed between the R23 and R24 any more, but on specific elements designed for the new car."

The Frenchman's acquaintance with the R24 began this week at Paul Ricard, where Renault was testing against most of its rivals in the pursuit of Ferrari.

"It went well," Montagny reported, "The wind was quite strong, and that disrupted my programme a little - it was hard to know how meaningful small gains or losses in performance were, and what the causes might have been - but it was a useful programme, and we are making progress every day.

"So far, things look good for Imola. We are really pushing ourselves - on my first day, I did 160 laps in the new car - and it gave us some time to get to know each other.
The team is confident, and I can't wait to start running the next programme."