Following the roll out of the new Williams FW30 this morning at the foggy Valencia circuit, Renault have also sent their 2008 car onto the circuit for a few preliminary shakedown laps, the R28 in the trusted hand of Fernando Alonso. Despite the cold weather at the Spanish track and a fog-interrupted morning, the new Renault rolled out of the garage allowing local fans to catch the first sighting of the car that Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr will be driving this year.

The new Renault doesn’t look too different to last years, although like most others now sports a bridge front wing arcing over the tip of the nose. Alonso prefers a simple car that he can drive easily, a method he used to good effect last season with the McLaren MP4-22.

The 2008 challenger will be launched at the end of the month on 31st January, but will continue to run at Valencia this week as the team test and further develop various components.

More information and photos to follow.