Robert Kubica completed his first laps of Barcelona as a Renault driver, although suspension problems limited the number of laps he could complete.
The sunny day in Barcelona gave good track conditions. Renault focused on shorter runs and set-up work throughout the morning, but could only send Kubica out for limited laps in the afternoon because of the reliability issue. The Pole managed to complete 53 laps in the R30.
Kubica was frustrated by the mechanical fault, but is optimistic of further performance gains when he returns to the car on Sunday. “It's frustrating to lose track time this afternoon because of a problem with the suspension, but I'm sure the team will get on top of the issue so that we can have a good weekend. We have some new aero parts coming for the car on Saturday and Sunday, which will help improve the pace of the car.”
Renault Chief Engineer Alan Permane is hopeful that the suspension issue will not disrupt the test further. “Robert was in the car today for his first laps at Barcelona in the R30. We spent the morning doing some set-up work, but in the afternoon we had a problem with the suspension, which limited our running. We're still looking into the issue and will have the car fixed and ready for tomorrow morning.”