Following his public criticism of his rookie driver Heikki Kovalainen, Flavio Briatore and Kovalainen have had a meeting privately to discuss the Finn’s performance. Afterwards, Kovalainen admitted, “There was little praise.”

Renault F1’s 2007 contender made its second appearance, this time at Jerez, for its official shakedown prior to the official launch in Amsterdam later this month. The R27 also attended Silverstone last Wednesday for aerodynamic tests, completing just 20km of testing.

Renault’s new race driver, Heikki Kovalainen, has said he feels he can match the success of his predecessor, Alonso. Although 2007 is his Formula 1 debut season, Kovalainen is not worried about what is expected of him.

Renault driver Heikki Kovalainen has admitted that the new tyres have been difficult to adjust to. At this week’s testing, Kovalainen has not been near the top runners. Kovalainen has stated that his R26 lacks balance making it difficult to put in a good lap time.”With these tyres you cannot drive aggressively,” he explained. “I am braking much more carefully and I am trying not to spin the wheels out of the corners. It is my belief that these tyres will change the style of driving a lot.”