The optimism in the French team is remarkable. The objective which was to get a reliable car has been more than achieved and now they hope that the 25hp extra will place Alonso and Trulli on the podium more frequently. The Spanish driver is satisfied with the tests made at Montmelo, two days in the dry and another in the wet "We are quite happy with the performance of this evolution. It has a little more power and it is easy to drive".

On the first of the two days the R24 had a reliability problem, something that does not worry Fernando Alonso, as he himself is responsinble for correcting "This was due to some old parts. It is not too important. He thinks that these tests have been positive for the team "It was important to get out on the track with this evolution of the engine. And, the rain has allowed us to try out settings for the Spanish GP.

This step forward in the Renault engine means that Alonso feels optimistic, although he does not think that they can threaten Ferrari�s supremacy "Thet are very strong. The new engine gives us two or three tenths improvement per lap, which will get us close to the podium in each GP. At Imola we will be fighting with BAR-Honda, Williams and McLaren. Bob Bell, technical director of the French team, has the same opinion "Right now there is a great difference between the Ferrari and the rest" he says.