Within two hours of the start of his test, he had surpassed by 0.6secs the fastest time set by Renault number two Vitaly Petrov in two days in the car on Thursday and Friday.

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Renault is now the number one automotive seller in Russia and, in fact, Russia is today the leading market for European made cars.

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It was a silver Renault Clio, registration number ELZ 7444.

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The Brazilian, a world championship runner-up in 2008, has recovered from serious head injuries suffered the following year but has very much been the number two driver since Alonso arrived from Renault in 2010.

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As a partner of the LeWeb'11 exhibition, Europe's number one showcase for digital entrepreneurs, Renault has chosen the Parisian show to reveal R-LINK, the tactile, integrated, connected tablet that is poised to equip its forthcoming models.

ENGADGET: Renault debuts R-Link, an in-dash Android system with app market