Formula 1 news

Renault happy except for penalty

The Renault F1 team placed its two cars fifth and sixth in qualifying today for the British Grand Prix. Unfortunately, following an engine failure this morning that required the unit to be replaced, Fernando Alonso's R24 will lose ten grid positions. His team-mate Jarno Trulli will start fifth.

"I did my best on the lap: the car was well balanced, but a lost some time in the first sector through Becketts," explained Trulli. "After that though, I managed to claw some time back in the second, and then did very well in the third sector. It was windy, but I don't think it was much different for me than the other drivers. I am pleased with fifth, and we now need to say how the strategies play out tomorrow."

Alonso commented, "It was a day of two halves for me. My problem this morning was bad luck and it is disappointing, but I can't do anything about it now. In terms of qualifying, I found the wind very difficult and the car balance was changing in every corner, but I also knew that with the grid penalty, I really had to push. I didn't leave any margin for error, and took quite a lot of risks - it would have been easy to make a mistake. Tomorrow, I think I will need some unusual incident in the race or unpredictable weather to finish high up, but I will still be looking to score points."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering added, "Both drivers did excellent qualifying laps with no major problems. However, as is usual for Silverstone, the variable wind kept the drivers on their toes throughout. It is unfortunate Fernando must drop ten spots after his problem this morning, but we know he will race strongly from wherever he is on the grid."

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager concluded, "In terms of pure performance, we are where we expected to be. But we are nonetheless disappointed to have suffered our first engine problem of the year, which will cost Fernando ten grid positions. Fortunately, our initial analysis suggests that the failure, which was located in the upper engine, was an isolated incident rather than a cause for general concern. However, Jarno's strong fifth position means we can realistically hope to finish on the podium tomorrow."

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