The Renault F1 Team began its Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with a competitive showing in Friday's free practice sessions, with Fernando Alonso finishing the day second on the timesheets and Giancarlo Fisichella third.

The cool track temperatures combined with the low-grip surface of the little-used Hungaroring circuit meant both drivers struggled for grip, and experienced tyre graining. However, the engineers were able to make progress on stabilising the car balance with a number of set-up changes, and will continue to work in this direction tomorrow to achieve a neutral, driveable in race conditions for what is always one of the most physically-demanding Grands Prix of the season.

Fernando Alonso: It was a good start to the weekend for me. The conditions were very low grip today and that meant the car balance was quite inconsistent, but we managed to do our normal programme, get a feel for the tyre performance and start making some set-up changes. I was having some problems with the rear end to begin with, but we managed to calm it down during the session and we will carry on working in that direction tomorrow. The times seem competitive, so I think we are on the right track.

Giancarlo Fisichella: I had a problem on my first lap when the traction control cut out on the exit of turn 7 and I half-spun. But we fixed it in the garage, and after that started the normal programme. It's much colder than usual here in Hungary, and that means the conditions are very low grip indeed, coming from the track but also the tyres. The car was quite tricky to drive because of this, but we made some good changes and need to do some more overnight. It is going to be a difficult weekend because of the conditions, but we seem to be in reasonable shape.

To check out our Hungary free practice gallery, click here