23^rd June 2002

european gp. race.

The expected first corner incident didn’t materialize for the front runners, but further back, Fisichella caught his team mate Sato, causing them both to spin. Sato went on to finish the race at the back, but Fisi later retired. During the first lap Barrichello took the lead, getting past Michael Schumacher, and both Williams drivers. Pole-sitter Montoya lost out to Ralf at the first corner and by the end of the lap he was in 4^th place. By lap 3, Ferrari had moved into a 1-2 formation which they kept to the end of the race. Hearts leapt in anticipation of a Ferrari retirement when Michael Schumacher managed to spin at the RTL turn, but he was able to rejoin the track with no harm done to his 2^nd position. Montoya and Coulthard were battling for 4^th, when Coulthard attempted to pass Montoya in turn 1. The Colombian’s tyres were shot, and as he made the turn, the back of the Williams kicked out and caught the McLaren’s front right wheel, putting both drivers out of the race. Raikkonen had lost a place to Button at the start but he was on a one stopper, rather than Jenson’s two, and fought back to finish third, ahead of Ralf, also one-stopping, in fourth. Jenson had got lucky at the start and went into turn one just ahead of Jarno who didn’t have the power to get past DC on the pit straight. Unknown to viewers, Jarno’s car had engine problems from lap 3 and while he was thinking about the possibility that his engine was on the way out, Jarno locked his brakes into turn 1 and lost 4 places while he re-joined the race from the run-off area. However, Jarno then made 3 strong overtaking moves on Panis, McNish and Massa to regain 8^th place, which was the best he could achieve today. Jarno was right behind the two Saubers, fighting for 6^th place at the end, but with his engine misfiring was unable to make a challenge for the last point. Jenson finished 5^th. The question exercising most people’s minds, watching the Ferrari procession at the end with Barrichello ahead, was will they, won’t they change places? Aware of the FIA case about the Austrian team orders farce later this week, Ferrari apparently decided to leave things as they were, the drivers backed off, and we had a different race winner for once. Even if he was still in a Ferrari. Top 6: Barrichello, M.Schumacher, Raikkonen, R. Schumacher, Button, Massa.

Chassis R202-05 Jarno Trulli

R202-01 Spare car (Trulli)

R202-06 Jenson Button

Jenson Button’s fifth place finish in the European Grand Prix adds two further points to the Renault F1 Team’s total in the 2002 Constructors’ Championship. Starting from the fourth row of the grid, both drivers opted for a two-stop strategy. Jenson Button finished fifth having started from eighth on the grid while Jarno Trulli, delayed by an off-track excursion early in the race and engine problems, took the chequered flag in eighth position.

Jenson Button, 5th position:

“The team did a great job, especially with the set-up of the car. It was hard for me at the start of the race but once the rear tyres had worn in a little and lost some grip, the balance was very good. The only problem was getting stuck behind Panis after my first stop. I couldn’t get past him, and lost quite a lot of time because of it. Overall, I had a very good race, and the team did a fantastic job.”

Jarno Trulli, 8th position:

“First of all, I’m pleased that the team managed to score two more points today. As for me, I made a good start but then lost a few positions in the first sector, and was eighth at the end of the first lap. Even so, the car was working well when I began to feel a misfire on lap 3. That made me a little nervous, and I then locked up going into the first corner soon after and went off-track. Although the problems continued throughout the race, the car felt pretty strong nevertheless. In the end, it was my mistake which cost us points today.”

Jean-Jacques His, Managing Director, Renault F1 Team France:

“I’m happy with our performance, even though a number of missed opportunities and typical racing incidents slowed us a little. We have reason to be pleased with a reliable weekend during which we demonstrated a good level of performance compared to our competitors, particularly at the end of the race when running with identical fuel loads.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Renault F1 Team:

“Our strategy today was built around leading McLaren at the end of the first lap. When we failed to achieve that, it was obviously going to be a difficult race. On top of this, we experienced some problems on both cars with intermittent engine faults. Under these circumstances, achieving a points finish was the best we could hope for.”

22^nd June 2002

european gp. qualifying.

Renault F1 proved themselves the best of the rest again today, with Jarno Trulli qualifying 7^th and Jenson Button 8^th. Top 6: Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, Michael Schumacher, Barrichello, Coulthard, Raikkonen.

Jarno Trulli will start tomorrow’s European Grand Prix from seventh position on the grid alongside team-mate Jenson Button following a pleasing qualifying session at the Nürburgring. With the first eight cars qualifying in team order, the Renault F1 Team retained its unofficial position amongst the teams this weekend, occupying the fourth row of the grid. Jarno Trulli set his best time on his third run while Jenson Button, hampered by slight understeer and traffic, was unable to improve on his first effort.

Jarno Trulli, 7th position, 12 laps, 1:30.927:

“I’m very happy with my position. The whole team did a good job today and even though it is very close, I think we are where we should be. Although we achieved the best we could today, there is still some work to do to improve the car. Personally, I think we will be much more competitive in the race than qualifying; I’m feeling very confident for tomorrow.”

Jenson Button, 8th position, 12 laps, 1:31.136:

“I’m a bit disappointed with how it turned out, because the first run ended up being my quickest after I picked up some understeer on the second and third, even though we hadn’t changed anything on the car. For my final lap, we made a small change to the rear anti roll-bar and it looked pretty positive in the first sector, where I was two tenths up. Unfortunately, I then got held up by some

traffic and lost the advantage. Even so, I think we’ve got a decent set-up for tomorrow, and we should be in a position to run strongly.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Renault F1 Team:

“A good qualifying session in which we achieved a reasonable balance on both cars. Unfortunately, we suffered from a little too much understeer and had a few too many problems with traffic to be able to put in the perfect lap. It’s interesting to see that the top eight are all in team order, and we know what our targets must be.”

Denis Chevrier, Head of Race Engineering (Engine), Renault F1 Team:

“Once again, we are pleased to have conducted a problem-free session in which we were able to complete the full planned programme. In the end, yesterday’s positions were maintained this afternoon, and we qualified at the right level. Having said that, there is still a genuine gap to the competition in front, and it is all the more frustrating for being small. We now need to focus our efforts on closing it.”

22^nd June 2002

european gp. saturday practice.

The end of session one saw the Renault F1 boys 8^th (Button) and 10^th (Trulli) fastest. By the end of the secpnd session. Trulli had improved to 8^th, while Button finished 10^th overall. Top 6: MS, Kimi, Rubens, Heidfeld, Ralf, Salo.

21^st June 2002

european gp. friday practice.

The Renault F1 Team experienced a positive first day at the European Grand Prix, with Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button lying in seventh and eighth positions following the first two free practice sessions. In the first session, Jarno was 12^th and Jenson 15^th. The day focused on evaluating the different tyre compounds, finding a good race set-up and, following the recent circuit modifications, assessing their impact on overall performance. Top 6: DC, MS, KR, RB, JPM, RS.

Jarno Trulli, 7th position, 41 laps, 1:33.526 :

“Today wasn’t too bad for me. We concentrated on set-ups for Sunday and tyre choice, but we still have some work to do in order to balance the car properly. Overall, I’m happy with a productive opening day.”

Jenson Button, 8th position, 46 laps, 1:33.708:

“The car is OK at the moment. We didn’t start off with a great set-up, and had to work hard to improve it. There’s still a bit to go, especially for one flying lap, but overall, it’s a good start to the weekend, except for England’s defeat in the World Cup this morning!”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Renault F1 Team:

“As well as conducting our usual race preparation today, we obviously needed to evaluate the circuit changes. Although it is rather slow, the new part of the circuit seems OK overall, but the bumpy entrance to Turn 1 has posed us a few problems. With the circuit still quite green, tyre choice was difficult today, and we will probably wait until tomorrow to make our final choice. Other than that it was a routine and quite successful day.”

18^th June 2002

european gp. preview.

This year, the Nürburgring introduces a new, longer and more sinuous layout. The change is significant, with a substantial length increase of over 600m, and a very slow hairpin.

Before the changes, the Nürburgring was the fifth most demanding of the season, and engines would run full throttle 60% of the time. Engine-wise, it now stands among the medium-difficulty tracks like Barcelona, Sepang and Interlagos. The new hairpin

increases overtaking opportunities, placing a premium on efficiency and excellent traction.

As in Austria, altitude is an important factor at the Nürburgring, which lies 500m above sea level. In practice, this means a loss of about 5% in engine power.

Climate is another important consideration: it’s always fairly chilly in the Nürburgring, and the large difference between morning and afternoon temperatures brings signification variation in grip. This year the variation will be even greater than usual because Saturday’s schedule has been brought forward to accommodate the World Cup, meaning qualifying will be run under early afternoon temperatures. But on the positive side, the cool climate does mean there will be no particular problems with engine cooling.

Driver Preview

Approaching the 2002 Grand Prix of Europe at the Nürburgring, Renault F1 Team driver Jarno Trulli is looking to maintain the momentum gained in the past two races as he returns to the scene of his best result in Formula 1, second place in the 1999 race.

The former German Formula 3 champion believes that knowledge of the circuit, and the region’s capricious weather, will be a definite advantage as attempts to continue his run of points-scoring finishes.

Jarno Trulli:

“I think experience can be a real advantage here, I know the circuit well, and I am used to reading the changing conditions. The time I spent in the junior formulae definitely helped me back in 1999. I don’t think the circuit itself is anything special. It’s pretty uninspiring really. There are no real opportunities for the driver to make big gains in lap time, so I will be

concentrating on building up a good rhythm in order to perform competitively. Overall, the team and I are performing well, I’m confident that we will be competitive - for sure, it will be better than Canada, but you can never really know until we start running on Friday. Given how races can turn out with the variable weather, another podium finish could be on the cards!”

14^th June 2002

jerez testing.

Fernando Alonso R202-04 60 laps 265 km 1:20.963

Jarno Trulli R202-02 58 laps 257 km 1:21.791

The Renault F1 Team today concluded testing at the Spanish circuit of Jerez. With Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso both once again in action, the team was able to complete the planned development programmes begun earlier this week.

Jarno Trulli concluded the week’s work with a tyre development programme for Michelin aimed at the forthcoming French Grand Prix. Following a planned engine change, he worked on brake development and set-ups for the Nürburgring. Fernando Alonso’s programme consisted of further set-up work, and some tyre development for future reference.

Technical Director Mike Gascoyne:

“It was a good week for us overall. We did a significant amount of mileage in perfect conditions, collecting a lot of useful information for the next few races and beyond.”

Alonso was 3^rd fastest behind Coulthard at the top of the table and Wurz in 2^nd place. Jarno was 7^th .

13^th June 2002

jerez testing.

Fernando Alonso R202-04 26 laps 115 km 1:20.849

Jarno Trulli R202-02 59 laps 261 km 1:20.550

The Renault F1 Team continued testing today in Jerez. Jarno Trulli conducted a tyre evaluation programme for Michelin, assessing different constructions in preparation for next week’s race at the Nürburgring. He also continued basic set-up work for the forthcoming Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso completed a reduced mileage, working through a gearbox development programme focusing on next season.

Technical Director Mike Gascoyne:

“A solid day for us in Jerez. Jarno completed a good programme for Michelin, in spite of having to change his engine during the day. Fernando began working on developments for the 2003 season.”

Jarno was third fastest at the end of the day, with Fernando in 6^th place. Fastest was Raikkonen for McLaren in 1:18.887.

Testing will conclude tomorrow, Friday, 14 June, with Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso.

12^th June 2002

jerez testing.

Fernando Alonso R202-04 67 laps 297km 1:21.259

Jarno Trulli R202-02 69 laps 306 km 1:21.390

Fernando and Jarno were 4^th and 5^th fastest today, when Toyota , Jaguar, BAR and Ferrari joined the teams already testing in Jerez. Fastest was Raikkonen for McLaren with 1:19.236.

A positive day of testing for the Renault F1 Team at the Jerez circuit in Spain. With Jarno Trulli joining Fernando Alonso at the wheel of a second car, both drivers completed significant mileage whilst conducting their development programmes.

Jarno Trulli’s work centred around three areas, namely further development of the new traction control system, basic set-up work for the forthcoming race at the Nürburgring and the testing of new engine evolutions, both in terms of electronic systems and new developments. Unfortunately, his running was curtailed by engine problems at the end of the day.

Fernando Alonso completed a tyre programme for Michelin as well as conducting brake development work.

Technical Director Mike Gascoyne:

“A very positive day. Both drivers worked well, completing full programmes with a view to the upcoming races.”

Work will continue tomorrow, Thursday, 13 June, again with Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso.

11^th June 2002

jerez testing.

Only test drivers in Jerez today, with Alonso for Renault, Wurz and Darren Turner for McLaren and Gene for Williams. Fastest was Wurz, with Alonso second.

Fernando Alonso R202-04 62 laps 275 km:

The Renault F1 Team today began four days of testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Tomorrow, Wednesday, 12 June, Jarno Trulli will join Fernando Alonso at the wheel of chassis R202-02. The latter will begin a tyre development programme for Michelin, while Trulli will continue work on the traction control system.

9^th June 2002

canadian gp. race.

Montoya kept his pole position into the first corner, but Barrichello was soon past both Michael Schumacher and Montoya as he was on a two stop strategy and running with low fuel compared to the one stop strategists. However, it was soon clear that Montoya was also on a two stop strategy and he took advantage of the safety car period, while marshals removed Villeneuve’s stricken BAR from the circuit, to make a very early stop. Mechanics made sure to clear the sidepods of debris picked up on the circuit. Salo and Bernoldi were busy overtaking all and sundry but both had to retire early with mechanical problems. Jenson had made up 3 places on the first lap and was running in 10^th behind Jarno in 9^th until JB was overtaken by Salo. Kimi Raikkonen, who had also made up places at the start, lost position to team mate DC after his pitstop, which can’t have pleased him much. McNish had gearbox problems and almost brought out the safety car again, before his car was cleared from the track. Both Jaguars retired with different problems. Ralf had fuel rig problems at his stop which forced him to make a second stop. when he found himself behind Jarno. Once Montoya had retired with a sick engine, Jarno was in 6^th place and wasn’t giving it up easily. In fact he kept Ralf’s Williams behind him for the rest of the race, even causing Ralf to make a mistake before the BMW engine gave out on the last lap. Jenson’s engine stopped 5 laps from the end, but remarkably, Jarno’s lasted the distance. Michael powered to the finish in 1^st place , while DC held off Barrichello for 2^nd. So 3^rd was Barrichello, 4^th was Kimi, 5^th Fisichella and 6^th Jarno. And Olivier Panis finished his first race this season in 8^th place. Sato also finished and so did both Minardis.

Chassis R202-05 Jarno Trulli

R202-01 Spare car (Trulli)

R202-06 Jenson Button

The Renault F1 Team concluded the first half of the season with their fifth points scoring finish of the year at the Canadian Grand Prix. At the end of a difficult weekend, Jarno Trulli, who started from tenth position, finished the race in sixth place, battling with Ralf Schumacher towards the end of the race. Jenson Button retired at the end of his 65th lap when his engine cut out at the end of the back straight.

Jarno Trulli, 6th position:

“It was a tough race! I’m pleased to score a point for the team after a hard weekend. The car was well balanced, and we decided to take off a little downforce for the race, which gave us good straight-line speed. During the race itself, I had some problems with the braking during the second half, and had to fight hard to keep my position under pressure from Ralf at the end.”

Jenson Button, retired:

“I made a decent start, and was tenth at the end of the first lap after a good battle with Villeneuve. Salo got past me during the first part of the race, but the temperatures started going up at half-distance. I stopped early to try and fix it, but unfortunately it didn’t work. I retired when the engine simply cut out. I don’t know what happened.”

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Renault F1 Team:

“A very difficult weekend for the whole team. Jarno drove a good race to finish in the points, while Jenson ran competitively before he started having problems. I’m pleased for the whole team to have scored a point here in Canada.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Renault F1 Team:

“A very hard race which ended with Jarno and the team scoring a well-earned point. He had to cope with braking difficulties and the management of his tyres, and did well to put in a competitive showing. Jenson lost tactical advantage when he had to stop early in order for the radiators to be cleared. Unfortunately, this failed to lower the high gearbox temperatures that subsequently gave him problems. In summary, this is a reasonably satisfying end to a very hard weekend.”

8^th June 2002

canadian gp. qualifying.

An interesting qualifying with some rain at the very end. Pole position changed between Williams and Ferrari until Montoya came out on pole with Michael Schumacher second. Jarno finished 10^th and Jenson 13^th. It was an eventful session for Jarno who managed to smack the wall on his second qualifying run. He did well to keep the car on track and get back to the pits, but the team had to change the spare car (set up for Jenson) before Jarno could try again. He got out 4 minutes before the end of the session and immediately came within three tenths of his previous best time, but on his next run it had already begun to rain. Top 6: JPM, MS, Barrichello, Ralf, Kimi, Fisi.

Chassis R202-01 Spare car (used by Trulli)

R202-05 Jarno Trulli

R202-06 Jenson Button

Jarno Trulli had to switch to the spare car halfway through the session after brushing the wall at the exit of turn 9 on his second

run, but was unable to improve his time as a result of the changing weather. Although Jenson Button experienced a less disrupted session, problems with car set-up meant he was unable to further improve his time.

Jarno Trulli, 10th position, 1:14.688, 10 laps:

“I must admit that I am a little disappointed with our result in qualifying. I made a mistake at a crucial time, when I was really pushing hard on the second flying lap. The car was behaving very well and the balance was good, so it’s a shame that I couldn’t

make the most of it in these circumstances. The team did a fantastic job to get the T-car ready for me so quickly, as it was set up for Jenson. This car felt strong as well, but the rain at the end of the session spoiled the final run.”

Jenson Button, 13th position, 1:14.854, 12 laps:

“It was a disappointing day for us. The car felt pretty good but one of my biggest problems was that I didn’t manage to pick up a tow on any of my four runs. You gain a big chunk of time in somebody’s slipstream at this circuit, but I just didn’t manage it today.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Renault F1 Team:

“A difficult qualifying session for us, as we were concerned about the weather at the beginning. Even though we managed to improve the car compared to this morning, we still cannot be satisfied with our positions. Jarno’s cause was not helped by having to

change to the T-car, whilst Jenson experienced some problems under braking which cost him time.”

Denis Chevrier, Head of Race Engineering (Engine), Renault F1 Team:

”Overall, a much better day for us in terms of our programme, during which we attempted to make up a lot of the time we lost yesterday. After a good morning’s work we were well prepared for qualifying, which meant we coped with the various incidents

during the session without any difficulties. On the engine side, we didn’t experience any problems, and can now approach the race having collected all the necessary information.”

8^th June 2002

canadian gp. saturday practice.

The Renault F1 Team were still trying to find their best set up for this track in Montreal. In the first session, Jarno Trulli finished 13^th fastest with Jenson Button 17^th. In the second session, both drivers ended up in more or less the same place, with Trulli 15^th and Button 16^th. Trulli survived a spin which took him close to the wall, Barrichello also spun but did hit the wall. Top 6 overall: MS, JPM, Barrichello, Kimi, Ralf, DC.

7^th June 2002

canadian GP. friday practice.

A disappointing opening day for the Renault F1 Team at the Canadian Grand Prix, during which technical problems for both drivers disrupted the team’s programme. After finishing the first session 11^th fastest, Jarno Trulli finished the day 21st , having lost the second session through a technical problem, whose cause has yet to be determined. There was white smoke when he stopped the car in the run off road though. Jenson Button, 14^th in the first session, experienced engine problems during the morning, leading to an engine change between the sessions. He finished the day in 15th position. Top 6: DC, JPM, MS, Kimi, Ralf, Salo.

Jarno Trulli, 21st position, 1:18.465, 19 laps:

“It wasn’t a good day for me. At this type of track, which improves significantly throughout the day, it is important to be running during the afternoon, which I obviously didn’t manage to do. The car was behaving fairly well, but I couldn’t make the changes I had wanted to during the second session. I hope tomorrow will be better for us.”

Jenson Button, 15th position, 1:17.473, 34 laps:

“A tough day. I lost the first session after an engine problem, which I felt straight away on my first flying lap. We worked well this afternoon, but I still haven’t found a good balance. We’ve got a lot of work to do before tomorrow morning.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Renault F1 Team: