Australian GP, Saturday
Fisico second and Fernando third on the grid for tomorrow's
Grand Prix.
The Renault F1 Team secured its strongest starting positions
of the 2006 season so far during qualifying for the 2006 Australian
GP this afternoon at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit. Giancarlo
Fisichella qualified second, while team-mate Fernando Alonso
will start from third position on the grid.
The knockout qualifying format once again proved action-packed,
and extremely busy for the team as it worked to secure the
best possible positions for the two drivers. The final positions
were decided by the quick laps on new tyres at the end of
the third session. Giancarlo Fisichella set his fastest time
on his second flying lap, in spite of some mistakes in the
first part of the circuit, while Fernando Alonso was delayed
by traffic in the final sector of his first timed lap after
the car in front made a mistake, costing him half a second.
Even so, positions on the first and second rows represent
a strong platform for tomorrow's race. Strong starts, such
as the team has already produced this year, combined with
the consistent pace of the R26, should see both drivers fighting
for the win with Jenson Button and the two McLarens.
FA
Heat 1 1:28.569
Heat 2 1:25.729
Super-Pole 1:25.778
GF
Heat 1 1:27.765
Heat 2 1:26.196
Super-Pole 1:25.635
Giancarlo Fisichella, P2
I am very pleased to be second for the race tomorrow, considering
I made some small mistakes on my quickest lap. For me, the
rain this morning was a bit worrying because I had lost set-up
time yesterday, and I didn't get a chance to drive the car
in dry conditions before qualifying. But we had made some
good changes with the engineers overnight, and the car balance
in qualifying was good. My second timed lap was faster than
the first because the tyres were taking a long time to warm
up, and second is a good grid position. The R26 has very good
pace on the long runs, so if we get a good start, then I think
we can be very strong tomorrow afternoon.
Fernando Alonso, P3
I am pleased to be third because this is my best qualifying
position so far this year. Even so, we still didn't achieve
our maximum this afternoon, because I had Heidfeld's BMW in
front of me during my quick lap, and he made a mistake in
turn 13. That meant I caught him very quickly, and lost about
half a second in the last two corners. The car felt very good
though, and I am pleased with the consistent handling balance.
In race conditions, I am confident we will be extremely competitive.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
It proved to be another very hectic qualifying session. In
addition to all the usual factors, we had to keep a close
eye on the weather this afternoon. We are satisfied with our
results: Fisi put in another faultless performance, while
Fernando was unlucky to hit traffic on his quick lap. Nevertheless,
we have strong starting positions and there is certainly a
possibility of some strategic differences in the race. We
are expecting it to come down to a three-way fight between
Renault, Honda and McLaren.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations
This is a very pleasing result after a day that was complicated
by inconsistent weather conditions. The weather this morning
meant we learned very little of use on the engine side, as
the track was never properly dry. We therefore had to make
our choices on gear ratios and cooling levels based on yesterday's
running. When it came to qualifying, we have achieved a very
strong team result, and it was pleasing to see both cars run
trouble-free. We can legitimately hope our race strategy will
prove extremely competitive, so the mood within the team is
very optimistic this evening.
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