Formula One news
Renault suffer qualifying blow
09 September 2006 / Results / PhotosThe Renault F1 team experienced a frantic qualifying session this afternoon at the historic Monza autodrome ahead of tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix. The team's two cars will start fifth and tenth on the grid, but the numbers give only the bare bones of a dramatic afternoon in Italy.
"It was a day when I was lucky and unlucky," said Alonso. "Obviously, the puncture cost me a chance to fight for the pole, with the damage it caused to the rear of the car. But equally, we had this problem at a circuit where we are competitive, and we can make up positions in the race. Things got very tight towards the end of Q3, and I had to really push to the limit on my out-lap to make sure I crossed the line in time. In the end, I did it with two seconds to spare. To qualify fifth after our problems is a strong start, and we know that our race pace is extremely competitive. Overall, once the damage has been fixed overnight, I think we can have a very strong race."
Giancarlo Fisichella commented, "I am only starting tenth, but I am still feeling confident. The car gets better and better on the long runs thanks to the Michelin tyres, and we know that will be of real importance in the race. I had a slightly inconsistent balance on my flying laps in the final part of qualifying, but it did not cost me a huge amount of lap time. Today's qualifying session was focused more on the race than on pure one-lap speed, and that makes me more optimistic that we can gain positions in the race."
Engineering chief Pat Symonds added, "A difficult qualifying session, but one which showed everything that is good about the Renault team. We reacted quickly to Fernando's puncture, ensured the car was safe - and some quick work by the pit crew meant he was able to cross the line for his last flying lap with just two seconds to spare. In spite of quite severe damage to the aerodynamics at the rear of the car, Fernando was able to put in an exceptional lap to qualify fifth. Giancarlo seemed to struggle with an inconsistent handling balance in the final session, and tenth place is a little disappointing. However, the excellent consistency of the Michelin tyres this weekend meant we were not obliged to make any compromises on our optimum race strategy to generate qualifying performance. Without his puncture and the damage it caused, Fernando clearly had enough pace in the car to take pole. This is a race where we may well see some variation in strategies, so even starting from the third and fifth rows, I think we can have a very good race."
more news
- 28 Nov.
- 27 Nov.
- 26 Nov.
- 25 Nov.
- 24 Nov.
- 23 Nov.
Homepage
Jerez