Bruno Senna says he is facing the Italian Grand Prix with much more confidence following a promising start to life as a Renault racing driver at Spa.
The Brazilian, who had not raced in Formula 1 since last year, returned to competitive action in Belgium, where he replaced Nick Heidfeld at Renault. Senna had a very good qualifying, finishing in seventh, but a mistake at the start of the race compromised his chances and he went on to finish in 13th.
Having a race under his belt, the Renault driver is heading to Italy confident of a stronger showing.
"Of course, in Spa I didn't know what to expect in terms of the competitiveness, but it was extremely encouraging that I managed to develop my pace quickly, and work with the team well," said Senna. "I have a strong working relationship with the engineers, and I am eager to get into the cockpit in Monza because I feel more confident heading into this race. As with any sport, miles on the clock and experience instill confidence in oneself."
He added: "I know the car much better now. I'm more familiar with the tendencies the car has, and I understand the direction we can take it. I'm looking forward to working closely with the engineers to devise solutions on where we can strengthen our approach."
Team boss Eric Boullier believes Monza will offer a clearer picture of Renault's actual form following a promising showing at Spa.
"It's difficult to draw too much from one race alone, whether that's in terms of who is in the race seat or the effect of the upgrade package, but Monza should give us a clearer indication as to how things are going.
"Monza is always a difficult track because it requires a low-downforce setup; it has high-speed corners and high-speed straights. After the steps we made in Spa, I'm confident we will have a progressive weekend in Italy, too."